Mental health alarm: Juveniles in crisis as system cracks

Damion Mitchell/Integration Editor

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has detailed a broken rehabilitation and reintegration system at juvenile facilities revealing that the greatest need for its children is in mental health.

With a population of 190 to 200 juveniles remanded across four institutions for crimes or detained for uncontrollable behaviour, there are only two full-time psychologists, two engaged on a sessional basis and two sessional psychiatrists.

They must provide counselling, prepare reports for the Children's Courts and deal with children who present with mental illnesses including bipolar disorder, sleeping disorder, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

“Some have attempted to harm themselves and others, most are subject to some form of sexual, physical or verbal abuse prior to admission,” a DCS spokesperson said in a report presented to Parliament's Human Resource and Development Committee this morning.

The DCS said, to compound the problem, many of the child perpetrators are also victims of crimes, experienced the loss of loved ones or witnessed murders.

At the same time, it is grappling with a rehabilitation and reintegration programme that has almost ground to a halt.

The academic programme is usually administered by civilian staff.

But there is a high attrition rate among teachers, the DCS reported.

It said between 2018 and 2019 alone, 16 teachers resigned and of the 48 teaching posts, 30 are vacant.

The other 18 are filled.

Among those who remain, the DCS said there is limited or no supervision to ensure that there are lesson plans, timetables and the maintenance of attendance registers in accordance with the standards of the Education Ministry.   

“It is difficult to recruit teachers due to disparity in salary and benefits between the DCS and public schools. Salary and allowances are paid at the Diploma level although teachers have first degrees,” said the DCS.

Now, the correctional service wants the Education Ministry to assume full responsibility for delivering the education programme in juvenile facilities.

It also wants the ministry to recruit and remunerate the teachers including specialist educators.

“This will resolve the issue relating to pay and benefits and will present the opportunity for the children to benefit from specialist intervention,” said a DCS spokesperson in the report.

The DCS also wants the Education Ministry to supervise and monitor the work of the teachers.

But ultimately, it wants new correctional centres, designed for the purpose of rehabilitation.

It also wants greater collaboration among state agents to strengthen the reintegration programme.           

Juvenile rehabilitation and reintegration constraints:

1. The use of aged, dilapidated buildings that were not purposed built
    
2. Lack of a structured education system to deliver the standard education programmes for the age cohort
    
3. Limited resources challenges faced by the Department in obtaining HEART/Trust/NSTA certification for vocational/skills programmes  
    
4. The absence of an established psycho-social unit or team to effectively address the growing need for psychological intervention among the diminishing but psychologically scarred population of children
    
5. Difficulty reintegrating children into their homes/communities and into the public school system upon the expiration of orders
    
6. The use of outdated and insufficient ICT devices and equipment and the general lack of network connectivity throughout the system
    
7. The volatile area in which the Metcalfe Street facility is located
    

Children admitted to correctional centres January –December 2021

• South Camp Juvenile Correctional Centre/Remand Centre
  Children on Correctional Order: 23
  Children expelled/suspended/stopped going to school: 23
   
• Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre (Medium Security)
  Children on Correctional Order: 39
  Children expelled/suspended/stopped going to school: 19
   
• Rio Cobre High Security (Formerly Hill Top Juvenile Correctional Centre)
  Children on Correctional Order: 16
  Children expelled/suspended/stopped going to school: 11
   
• Total
  Children on Correctional Order: 75
  Children expelled/suspended/stopped going to school: 53

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