Look Beyond Their Delinquency: The Use of Mental Health Services Among Juvenile Offenders in Correctional Facilities in Jamaica

Background and Purpose: About 31% of major crimes in Jamaica are committed by youth ages 12-20 (Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), 2011), when juvenile makes up 8.8% of the incarcerated population. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is responsible for correctional services in Jamaica.  Studies show high prevalence of mental illness common among juvenile offenders worldwide, yet very little is known about juvenile offenders in Jamaica. In this study, we describe mental health services use among juvenile offenders in Jamaica.

Methods: This study analyzed the aggregated secondary data from Jamaica government reports. In 2015, the first author visited Jamaica to gather reports from PIOJ and DCS. PIOJ publishes the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) Report, which provides a comprehensive review of all the social and economic government programs. The DCS report details the department’s achievements and challenges. Both PIOJ and DCS cover in their reports rehabilitation services provided in correctional facilities. We obtained copies of the ESSJ reports of 2010, 2011 and 2013, and the DCS reports of 2008, 2009 and 2011. Copies of the ESSJ 2012 and DCS 2010 reports were not available for review. More recent information on DCS rehabilitation programs was obtained from the Auditor General’s Department Performance Audit dated July 2014. The Constitution established the Auditor General’s Department as an independent auditor of government agencies operations and finances.

Results: According to the DCS reports, the new admissions of juvenile offenders into correctional facilities decreased over time. In 2008, 226 juveniles entered the facilities compared to 210 in 2009, 175 in 2010 and 155 in 2011. The facilities provided three types of mental health services: psychological, psychiatric, and religious services. Among them, religious services provided by chaplaincy are the primary mental health services. Chaplaincy provides individual and group counseling, worship services, and bible study sessions. Their counseling sessions covered topics on stress management, conflict resolution, and self-esteem. The use of psychotropic injections for inmates was over 800 in 2008, 1,992 in 2009 and 1,802 in 2011. Psychiatrist- patient consultations almost doubled between 2008 (1,663) and 2011 (3,241). The psychological services also significantly increased from 178 patient sessions in 2008 to 840 in 2011. Since some facilities serve both juveniles and adults and the DCS reported their statistics by facilities, the report did not show separate statistics for juveniles.

The ESSJ reports the implementation of risk/needs assessments and Risk of Harm assessment in juvenile facilities, and a behavior modification program for youth under 29 years old. The Auditor General added that not all juvenile received a risk/needs assessment but all juvenile participated in a counseling activity. However, the type of counseling and behavior modification activities were not specified.  

Conclusions and Implications: Our review of multi-year Jamaica government reports showed that juvenile offenders in Jamaica received various forms of mental health services. However, the prevalence of mental health problems and the effectiveness of specific types of mental health service remain largely unknown. Conducting more research in this area will inform treatment development for juvenile offenders in Jamaica.