MALE deportees from the United States and the United Kingdom should find it a bit easier to reintegrate into Jamaican society with the opening of the William Chamberlain Adult Rehabilitation Centre in Kingston, yesterday.

The centre — which was constructed by the Salvation Army in collaboration with the United Nations, Canada, and several local stakeholders — will also accommodate persons suffering from drug addictions.

According to Commissioner Larry Bosh of the Salvation Army, the initiative is aimed at helping affected individuals “to get back on their feet”.

“This is not just for deportees but for persons with substance abuse. It is for anybody who has anything that keeps them from being a productive member of society,” Bosh told the Observer following the launch of the facility at 53 Lyndhurst Road.

More than 40,000 Jamaicans have been deported to Jamaica in the last two decades.

“The capacity right now is going to be between 20 to 25,” said Bosh, in reference to the maximum number of persons the centre will be able to accommodate at a time. “The whole idea is to get them back on their feet, and we are looking at a turnover time of about six months. It will have to be individualised because some persons will be able to make progress faster than others,” Bosh explained.

“In a year we are looking to have at least 50 persons coming through, maybe more because of the shorter turn-over time. But it will be a system where persons pass through,” he said.

According to Bosh, each person being catered for at the centre will receive medical treatment, and will be trained in carpentry and upholstery, among other skills. They will also be counselled on “being a productive member of society”, he said.

Bosh noted that the Salvation Army will also be assisting the deported Jamaicans in finding employment.

More than $13 million was spent to renovate the centre which now houses a sleeping area, a woodwork shop, bathroom, and laundry facilities. Items made by the guests, such as the bed frames and mattresses which they will be sleeping on, will be sold in an effort to generate revenue for the facility.

Sherianne Gray, who represented the Ministry of National Security, welcomed the centre saying it is the last project under the Jamaica Reducing Re-offending Action Plan (JRRAP) established by the British and local Government to a tune of $380 million.

“The ultimate aim is to reduce re-offending and to reduce the high levels of crimes and violence in this country,” said Gray. “While this facility is welcomed the Ministry and the British High Commissioner will be looking at other approaches as we move into phase two of the JRRAP programme,” she said.