By Tahna Weston
A Barbadian mental health advocate is calling for stronger crisis response and forensic mental health services following the death of an inmate of His Majesty’s Prison.
Ryan Lewis, a nursing officer, and mental health advocate with 25 years’ experience at the main public psychiatric hospital in Barbados, made the call during Observer Ra-dio’s Big Issues programme.
The discussion was prompted by the reported death of Rashawn Shabazz, who had been transported to Sir Lester Bird Medical Center (SLBMC) following an incident at the prison. The ensuing conversation examined how mentally ill people who break the law should be treated.
Lewis cautioned against assuming that mental illness alone explains violent behaviour, saying such incidents are often the result of several contributing factors.
“Because knowing someone had a mental health diagnosis is not the same as knowing why they behaved the way they did and those are two completely different questions which require two sets of completely different responses,” Lewis said.
He said behaviour should be examined carefully before conclusions are drawn and stressed that understanding what happened is different from excusing criminal acts.
Lewis also said first responders need specialised training to recognise mental health crises and respond appropriately, adding that treatment should be considered alongside public safety.
“Because every person with mental illness is not dangerous. Because every first responder also deserves the knowledge and confidence to distinguish a criminal act from a health crisis and sometimes the two can exist together. Equally important is the development of strong mental health forensic services in our Caribbean nations. Forensic mental health sits at the intersection of healthcare and our justice system. Its purpose is not to excuse criminal behaviour nor is it simply just to punish persons who commit these criminal acts.
“However, in my opinion, its purpose is to carefully assess the individual, understand the risks involved, and provide treatment where appropriate, reduce the likelihood of future offending, and ultimately protect both the individual and the wider community, not one person at the expense of the other. In this, I guess I’m saying that public safety and compassionate mental health care should not be competing priorities. However, they should strengthen one another,” he said.
Lewis said greater attention should also be paid to early warning signs and community intervention before people come into contact with the criminal justice system.
“When tragedy strikes, we often ask what’s wrong with that person? But perhaps a more useful question could be: What happened to that person and what support was available? Were there missed opportunities to intervene? And those questions do not diminish accountability by any means, nor do they minimize the suffering of victims or the families of those victims.
“What they do is move us beyond simply reacting to tragedy and towards preventing the next one because at the end of the day, mental health is not just a health care issue, it’s a public safety issue; it’s a family issue; it’s a community issue; and above all, it’s a human issue,” Lewis said.
He said investing in community mental health services, school-based programmes, crisis intervention teams and family support should be viewed as an investment in safer communities, adding that earlier intervention can help prevent future tragedies.
Rashawn’s father Khalid Shabazz said his son had been battling mental health issues for over a decade and accuses the authorities of failing to provide the appropriate treatment for his son’s condition. He is calling for justice for his son as the police said an investigation into the death has been launched.
The 36-year-old Rashawn died at SLBMC on July 23rd following an incident at the prison which required police intervention.
