Consultative dialogue deliberates over mental healthcare in detention facilities

A consultative dialogue on mental healthcare in detention facilities was held at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday. The session was organised by the National Academy for Prison Administration (NAPA) with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Justice Project Pakistan as a partner. NAPA Director Waqar Ali, consultant psychiatrist Asma Humayun and Justice Project Pakistan Executive Director Sarah Belal delivered keynote addresses. A panel discussion was also held comprising IG prisons and jail superintendents around the challenges of managing detainees with mental disorders, gaps in existing mental healthcare in prisons, legal deliberations on issues of mental incapacity, limitations of forensic assessments and reports, and implementation of mental health legislation. “The presence of people with mental disorders in detention facilities is known to be steadily increasing in Pakistan. According to authorities, there are approximately 4,688 prisoners on death row in Pakistan, of which there are 188 mentally ill patients locked up in Punjab alone,” said Sarah Belal, Executive Director, Justice Project Pakistan. She further added, “Mentally ill people are not as criminally responsible for their crimes. They lack criminal responsibility because the intention element is not always there or at least not to the same extent.” In her presentation, Dr Asma Humayun said it is extremely important to develop a mechanism to identify people who are at risk of mental disorders or are already mentally unwell when they are entering detention facilities. “Many prisoners might not have mental disorders but instead might be suffering from learning disabilities. A majority of prisoners suffering from common mental disorders can be treated by non-specialists.” There are serious medical and ethical concerns for detainees with mental disorders. The issue also creates a significant burden on an over-crowded and under-resourced correctional system. The association between mentally ill detainees and prison environment is a complex one where people with mental disorders are vulnerable as both, victims and violators. The aim of the conference was to assess mental healthcare needs in prison population and identify gaps in existing services.

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: A consultative dialogue on mental healthcare in detention facilities was held at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday. The session was organised by the National Academy for Prison Administration (NAPA) with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Justice Project Pakistan as a partner.

NAPA Director Waqar Ali, consultant psychiatrist Asma Humayun and Justice Project Pakistan Executive Director Sarah Belal delivered keynote addresses. A panel discussion was also held comprising IG prisons and jail superintendents around the challenges of managing detainees with mental disorders, gaps in existing mental healthcare in prisons, legal deliberations on issues of mental incapacity, limitations of forensic assessments and reports, and implementation of mental health legislation.

“The presence of people with mental disorders in detention facilities is known to be steadily increasing in Pakistan. According to authorities, there are approximately 4,688 prisoners on death row in Pakistan, of which there are 188 mentally ill patients locked up in Punjab alone,” said Sarah Belal, Executive Director, Justice Project Pakistan.

She further added, “Mentally ill people are not as criminally responsible for their crimes. They lack criminal responsibility because the intention element is not always there or at least not to the same extent.”

In her presentation, Dr Asma Humayun said it is extremely important to develop a mechanism to identify people who are at risk of mental disorders or are already mentally unwell when they are entering detention facilities. “Many prisoners might not have mental disorders but instead might be suffering from learning disabilities. A majority of prisoners suffering from common mental disorders can be treated by non-specialists.”

There are serious medical and ethical concerns for detainees with mental disorders. The issue also creates a significant burden on an over-crowded and under-resourced correctional system. The association between mentally ill detainees and prison environment is a complex one where people with mental disorders are vulnerable as both, victims and violators. The aim of the conference was to assess mental healthcare needs in prison population and identify gaps in existing services.