It is disturbing that there is still no clear government policy or programme to address the problem of mentally ill people who come into conflict with the law and find themselves in jail and unable to plead. If there is indeed a policy, it appears.
The Jamaican Supreme Court has ordered that a mentally ill man who languished in prison for nearly 42 years without facing a trial for murder should be “temporarily” released to family members under strict conditions. His name and the names of the.
A legal challenge is looming for the release of some 300 mentally ill detainees languishing in prison, some for decades, awaiting trial for various crimes. A group of attorneys representing human rights advocates Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) and.