Many of the progressive things that happen in Jamaica don’t make the headlines and, worse, are often overshadowed by the litany of bad news, the daily homicides being the main culprit.

We would not be surprised if only the hypervigilant can recite the fact that on September 24, 2024 Jamaica got its first-ever infant nursery for incarcerated expectant mothers, located at the South Camp Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston.

The $13-million state-of-the-art facility comprises three rooms furnished with cribs, beds, toys, feeding chairs, a general wash area with changing table, shower, and bathroom facilities. It is also equipped with two ramps for wheelchair access.

Beyond providing a more humane and comfortable space for pregnant or nursing mothers in custody, the objective of the nursery is laudable and may help to reduce the high 40 per cent rate of repeat offenders. In other words, promoting rehabilitation.

The politician to whom credit will go is the junior minister of national security Mrs Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, the former standout athlete who works quietly in the shadow of the minister, Dr Horace Chang.

We are impressed with Mrs Cuthbert-Flynn because ground was only broken for the project on April 17, 2024 and construction took a mere five months, which is nothing short of a miracle in Jamaica where every State construction project runs overtime and overbudget.

“This nursery is a testament to our Government’s commitment to modernising our correctional system and ensuring that, even within these walls, there is a space for compassion, there is a space for dignity, and there is a space for growth. This is not just brick and mortar, it is also a signal of our vision for a more inclusive and humane correctional service,” she said at the opening ceremony.

The idea hit her, the junior minister explained, on a visit to the correctional facility when she saw a mother with a newborn baby sharing a small cot in a space with other inmates and thought that could not be good for either mother or child.

“I decided that we should have a nursery for these mothers. When I investigated, we recognised that there were at least two mothers per year who would enter the facilities pregnant and give birth while they’re incarcerated, whether they’re waiting to be charged or not… but they end up being in State care and end up giving birth,” said Mrs Cuthbert-Flynn.

The relief and joy expressed at the official opening by superintendent of the South Camp Adult Correctional Centre Mrs Joycelyn Roach Spencer spoke volumes. She noted that it was the first time in the history of Jamaica’s Department of Correctional Services that it could boast a state-of-the-art nursery in one of its female facilities.

“Our response, as correctional custodians at the end of the crime-fighting spectrum, is to ensure that mother and child are treated well, given antenatal and post-natal care, as well as good diet and nutrition. Comfort at this time for the mother and the infant is important,” she emphasised.

While we are excited about the new facility, we wonder whether it would be possible for the fathers of these newborns to play a role in their children’s lives, to complete the circle, so to speak.

The minister might wish, perhaps, to consider this idea.