Eighteen boys of the Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre were treated to haircuts on Wednesday, an initiative of Enhanced Potential to Inspire Change (EPIC) Guyana, a non-governmental organization which advocates for the reform of the juvenile justice system.EPIC-Guyana was founded earlier this year by Brian Backer and Winston Martindale.Although organized by the NGO, barber Perez Cush of the Elite Barber Shop, was at the forefront of the initiative, the second of its kind to be conducted at the facility by the group, to which he willingly volunteered his time and tools.“It taught me a lot. The first time I came here I never knew they had a juvenile centre. So from the first time I came here I found it very interesting. I also grew some compassion for the less fortunate,” Cush expressed.The Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre currently houses 28 children—23 boys and 5 girls, all charged and on remand. The institution only houses children up to the age of 17, after which they are transferred to the young offenders’ block.It is common for the females to be brought in on charges of wandering but according to the Centre’s Administrative Officer Yvette Sancho, breaking and entering and simple larceny are among the most prevalent offences among the males.The Centre comes under the purview of the Ministry of Public Security, which provides all the children’s resources, including their social and educational needs.This includes providing classes for them in the areas of Mathema-tics, English, Health Sciences and Social Studies as well as allowing them to engage in a wide range of sporting activities such as rugby, football, basketball, cricket, boxing and table tennis.Prior to the centre’s establishment in 2011, juvenile offenders were held at designated police stations.
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