Ward hospitalised after prison suicide attempt
Published:Wednesday | March 16, 2022 | 12:10 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
A ward who reportedly attempted suicide on Monday afternoon at the South Camp Juvenile Correctional and Remand Centre for Girls is recovering in hospital.
The incident took place around 5 p.m.
The 17-year-old ward was discovered hanging in her cell by another inmate who alerted authorities, Senior Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth, commander of the St Andrew Central Police Division, confirmed to The Gleaner.
She was subsequently taken to the Kingston Public Hospital, where she is being treated and is under observation by medical personnel for her safety.
The Cross Roads police were notified of the incident and an investigation is ongoing.
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) launched a preliminary investigation into the matter, said Senior Public Relations Officer Denyelle Anderson.
INDECOM investigators conducted enquiries at the DCS facility and interviewed the ward.
“The commission has now determined that the allegation is not within our investigative remit. The ward has not made an allegation against any member of the DCS, nor, at this time, is there any apparent case of negligence,” INDECOM reported.
As a result, the DCS will undertake all remaining investigative processes and internal reviews.
Calls to Monique Pryce, the Department of Correctional Services’ (DCS) director of communications and public relations, went unanswered.
The reason for the ward’s attempted suicide has yet to be determined.
Last month, the DCS reported systemic dysfunctionality in the rehabilitation and reintegration at juvenile detention facilities across Jamaica, indicating that mental-health concerns among the youth population needed to be addressed.
Only two full-time psychologists, two others engaged sessionally, and two sessional psychiatrists are scheduled to provide counselling services across the four juvenile detention centres, which serve up to 200 youths aged 12 to 18.
The four facilities are the Hill Top Juvenile Correctional Centre (HTJCC), Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre (RCJCC), Metcalfe Street Secure Juvenile Centre (MSSJC) for boys, and the South Camp Juvenile Correctional and Remand Centre for girls.
Juvenile offenders are detained for a variety of offences, including assault, occasioning bodily harm, murder, and simple larceny. Some are also held on the premise of being uncontrollable.
“There is need for child and adolescent psychiatrists, as well as additional psychologists dedicated to serving the children so that diagnosis can be made on a timely basis and treatment sustained,” the report said.