Jamaican gov’t strengthening mental health services for persons behind bars
The Ministry of
Health and Wellness is partnering with the Ministry of National Security on a
range of interventions aimed at strengthening support for persons behind bars
who suffer from mental illnesses.
Health Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher
Tufton, made the disclosure at the launch of a
research paper on incarcerated persons with mental illness, dubbed ‘Through the
Cracks’, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in
St. Andrew on Wednesday (November 6).
He said the
measures include employing additional mental health staff to address the psychosocial
issues of offenders as well as providing early diagnoses and treatment of those
who become mentally ill while incarcerated.
He noted that
the Ministry is looking into training correctional officers in the management
of the mentally ill as an interim measure until a full cadre of mental health
staff, including psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nursing aides, is
in place.
In addition, coordination will be established with
the appropriate parish community mental health teams to ensure close monitoring
and follow-up care after sentence is served and during the probationary period,
to prevent reoffending.
Dr. Tufton said
that recommendations have been made for the provision of alternatives to
incarceration for non-violent persons, primarily with substance use and/or
psychiatric disorders.
“These programmes may include Drug Treatment
Court, Mental Health Court, Case Management and Psychiatric Emergency Response
Teams on which some work has already begun,” he indicated.
Dr. Tufton said
the report of the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable
Development, published in 2018, points out that incarcerated persons are
included in the vulnerable populations at increased risk of having mental
health problems.
“This makes it
especially important for us to enhance community mental health services in line
with the 2020 to 2025 strategic plan to provide comprehensive, integrated and
responsive mental health and social care while boosting resource planning and
stakeholder collaboration,” he said.
Through the Cracks is a comparative research report on strategies to address the rights of mentally ill persons in Jamaican prisons.
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The research, completed by Stand Up for Jamaica (SUFJ) in August 2019, was funded by the European Union through its European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) country-based support schemes in Jamaica and Belize.
— JIS
