KINGSTON, Jamaica — Lands have been identified to build a correctional and remand facility for girls, Youth Minister Lisa Hanna said today.

Hanna, speaking at a press conference, said that the cost of the facility would run into several hundred million dollars.

She did not give a timeline on the construction of the facility.

The Observer did not get a timeline on the construction of the facility.

Meanwhile, the South Camp Road Rehabilitation Centre will be upgraded to house girls who are now held at the Fort Augusta Prison.

Additionally, the Rio Cobre Correctional Facilities for boys will be upgraded, the minister said.

The announcement comes on the heels of increased protests by advocacy groups about housing minors with adults after last month’s suicide of Vanessa Wint, a ward of the state.

Wint, 16, was found hanging with a sheet around her neck at the Horizon Adult Correctional Centre.

She had been sent to the Fort Augusta prison for women last year after she ran away from home but was moved to Horizon earlier this year.