On May 22, 2009, a horrific fire at Armadale Juvenile Correctional Facility in St. Ann killed 7 girls and injured 13 others. In this state-run facility, 23 girls shared one room with seven beds. They had limited access to sanitation facilities, were confined indoors for the majority of their time and were provided with very little in the way of education, stimulation or regular, nutritious meals.
The seven deceased were named Ann-Marie Samuels, Nerrissa King, Rachael King, Kaychell Nelson, Shauna-Lee Kerr, Georgina Saunders and Stephanie Smith and were all between the ages of 15 and 17. The fire was allegedly started by a guard who set it in response to being rejected by one of the girls. The injustices of this situation are innumerable, starting with the fact that the majority of these girls were confined because the state declared them “uncontrollable”. This term, which the government has since promised to strike from the legislation, allowed judges to remand youth to custody for minor “offences” such as running away from home. Further to this unjustified and arbitrary designation by the state, according to reports, the girls had been “locked down” for three weeks and could not escape because of this.
The conditions in the facility also contravened international law as they did not meet the United Nation’s Beijing Convention, which sets out minimum standards of care. (Read a report on the issue from Jamaicans for Justice here).
Last year, I did a report on juveniles in state care for 18 Degrees North (skip to second clip in link) and during my research, met one of the survivors of the fire, Candene. She is beautiful and brave and humbled me with her courage. She now makes her way through life with thick scars on her arm and burdened by the trauma of the fire and seeing her friends perish. She also advocates for herself and her peers. (Read a report of the fire from a survivor here.)
Jamaica’s Office of the Children’s Advocate is now seeking compensation from the government for the victims of the fire. It seems they have been reaching out for several months now, with newspaper advertisements and perhaps other means, without success. I know from my research that it is hard to locate these girls, as many do not have regular access to a cell phone or live in rural areas. In addition, their justified lack of trust in the government likely means they are reluctant to contact a state agency. However, they are due compensation and justice, although I suspect that no apology or monetary figure could ever make up for what they experienced.
I was able to speak with Nicole Wright, a lawyer with the Office of the Children’s Advocate. She told me that to date, NO girls represented by the OCA have received compensation. The OCA is in the process of going over previous similar cases, drafting estimates and presenting them to the Ministry of Justice. So far, the Ministry has rejected all of the OCA’s proposals. They are “far less than what we have asked for,” says Wright. “We have not settled any yet and we are not accepting” the figure that the government has come back with, she says, adding that it is a challenge to quantify the damages and trauma the girls experienced.
Wright admits she is having trouble locating some of the girls, some because their phone numbers have changed, others have moved, and some just don’t want to deal with the state or they are concerned about people in their community thinking they will receive a lot of money. “That is very disturbing to me,” Wright says.
By the numbers, there were 61 wards at Armadale when the fire occurred; 23 in the “office dorm” and 38 in the “cottage dorm”. The OCA is currently representing five of the deceased, and 55 girls in total. It has filed claims for 33 girls (some have signed the witness statements but some have not been located yet) and four other girls are represented by private lawyers. Two girls represented by private attorneys have received compensation. The trial will occur between July 7 and 18 of this year.
If Ms. Wright could talk to the girls she cannot locate, here is the message she would give them: “We would love for you to come in and talk to us, even if you are not interested (in compensation),” she says, adding that the OCA was established to represent children.
I leave you with this message from the equally brave and beautiful Moira Morgan, who founded The Griffin Trust, has worked closely with many of the survivors. Moira has taken them in like they are her own family, unconditionally. I also interviewed Moira for the piece I did and her commitment to these girls and her fierce drive to protect them was evident in the tears she shed during the interview.
I am putting a shout out to all my Armadale girls those i met at Diamond Crest and those i never got to meet. on a very serious note all the girls from both dorms who need to contact the Office of The Children’s Advocate, urgently……. Call 948 3771 ask for Nicole Wright,
All the girls have an entitlement to some compensation, and the packages are now being worked on……. but you need to sign up with the OCA NOW… they have a close off date of tomorrow for your registration, after that it will take longer again to sort it out. Call them on
Some of you know some others, please come forward……. you can call me on 868 **** ……… Don’t lose out and don’t let others lose out…….. even if you never like them
Candi Cane, Sherice Osheen Flemming, Lafaine Smith, Erica Blackbeauty Samuels, Samantha Meggo, Ashanti Ukkubit Sotightlyblessed, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD…. THIS IS FOR REAL……
Jamaican Journal 
You are doing good work, Kate.