Wednesday, May 18, 2022

DETENTION CENTRE FOR THE VIOLENT AND MENTALLY ILL

 Filenews 18 May 2022 - Fanis Makridis



An essential issue has been settled in relation to the detention facilities managed by the Cyprus Police.  The only room in Cyprus that is specially designed to keep high-risk cases of people there, has been reopened since last week.

This area, which has a special layout, is located in the police detention centre of Lakatamia and the fact that it can now be used provides a solution to a problem that was very often confronted by members of the police force.

This is because, there was a dead end in the confinement of prisoners who were either judged as violent and dangerous for themselves and for others, as well as people who faced psychological problems and showed tendencies of suicide.

In other words, the whole thing was not only causing practical problems, but also had humanitarian dimensions.

Complete remodelling

According to information from "F", this special area has received a significant number of modifications in order to make it suitable. Among other things, (1) the walls have been lined with a special sponge, (2) objects have been moved in order to eliminate the risk of injury to the detained person, (3) additional work has been done on the masonry for window opening, while (4) cctv has been installed in order to monitor the persons detained there, for the purpose of protecting them and maintaining their physical integrity.

The same information indicates that it has been converted in order to comply with safety standards, in the room standards that exist in the Athalassa Hospital and in the Wing "10" of the Central Prisons. The ward in question has been operating since October 2020 in the penitentiary and was created to treat cases of prisoners with a mental health problem.

It should also be noted that before cameras were installed inside the special detention centre, the Commissioner for the Protection of Personal Data, Irene Loizidou Nikolaidou, was consulted.

In addition, before works were carried out for redevelopment, the relevant positions of the Legal Service and the Ministry of Health were taken into account.

Highlighted since January

The unsuitability of the site was known, while it was also pointed out last January after an evaluation of all detention centres nationwide by officers of the police force. The event had caused concern, since in the context of this investigation, the fact that in the whole of Cyprus there was only one such place had emerged.

The decrees...

Since the Police are called upon to carry out psychiatric decrees (such as the one for compulsory hospitalization) against persons, there was a problem with their temporary detention in a suitable and safe – for them – place. The operation of this special room became more necessary since the end of last year when the district courts stopped summarily issuing orders for the evaluation/hospitalization of a person (it was preceded by a Supreme Court decision last November).

Detention centre for 330 people

It should be noted that the Police operate 22 detention facilities nationwide with a total capacity of 330 people. In Lakatamia there are detention areas for 38 people. Several detention centres have been declared as prisons on the basis of a decree of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.