KINGSTON, Jamaica — Inmates and wards at the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) are set to receive additional psychiatric care, following the completion of training for 17 correctional officers.

According to a release, the officers along with one civilian staff participated in the four-month training programme as psychiatric nursing aids. They will join civilians already employed within the correctional centres.

Facilitated through a partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the training was held at the Bellevue Hospital in Kingston, and at the DCS facilities. The newly trained officers will help to provide care for inmates and wards afflicted by depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric illnesses in 11 correctional institutions.

Director of the DCS’ Medical Services Unit, Dr Donna-Michelle Royer-Powe charged the graduates to implement mechanisms that will facilitate the treatment and engagement of inmates and wards within the penal system who are living with mental health conditions.

“As psychiatric nursing aids, you will be involved in the promotion, treatment and rehabilitation of psychiatric inmates in the correctional facilities. You will work under the guidance of the psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses, and act as a link between the inmates and the community,” she said at the recent graduation held at the DCS’ Lockett Avenue facility.

Adding that they will be helping to facilitate the inmates’ “reintegration into the community” by ensuring a referral and medication are provided when they are to be released, she said “your observations will be key in assisting the psychiatrists in conducting their assessments, to make recommendations for the inmates and wards.”

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bellevue Hospital, Marcia Mullings-Thompson who facilitated the sessions, said the training was done from a holistic approach that addressed the physical and psychological well-being of patients with mental illnesses.

The CEO noted that “the participants were taught to manage the personal hygiene of patients, identify common medical disorders and provide basic nursing care. They were also trained and certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The psychiatric component helped them to identify the common mental disorders and their role in caring for these persons,” she told the ceremony.

The course also included de-escalation and restraining techniques to manage violent and aggressive individuals.

The graduation was held under the theme : “Reaping Success in Difficult Times”.