Odisha: In Wake Of Prisoners Death By Suicide, Mental Health Specialists Deployed To Evaluate & Treat Inmates

Addressing the mental health concerns of prisoners serving their sentences in jail is essential as prisons serve the purpose of being correctional centres. In order to have the prisoners go back to leading normal lives after their release and not develop severe mental concerns within the prison confines, it becomes essential that officials allocate a time slot to understand their mental state. Under this measure of conducting mental health screenings in correctional houses, the Odisha government has deployed a batch of residents, specialists, and clinical psychologists to screen, counsel, treat and evaluate prison inmates.

Creating Better Environments For Inmates

In an attempt to extend mental health care services to a larger group of people, the Odisha state government has deployed senior residents, psychiatric specialists, and clinical psychologists in the medical colleges and hospitals (MCHs) and district headquarters hospitals (DHH). These establishments have often made news for facing a shortage of skilled mental health professionals. Among those newly deployed, 30 psychiatric specialists would be assigned to 10 MCHs, and 20 DHHs have been assigned to one district each.

Another 30 clinical psychologists deployed in 29 DHHs and Capital Hospital will also be attending de-addiction centres (DACs) along with their assigned districts. The deployed batch would also conduct telepsychiatry, Tele-Manas services, and e-Sanjeevani to improve accessibility and affordability of mental healthcare services in the community. However, the catch in the deployment is that the clinical psychologists, apart from their assigned stations, would also screen, counsel, treat, and evaluate prison inmates having mental illnesses. They would be spending around four days a month in their assigned districts.

Need To Address Mental Health Needs

The decision to bring about mental health checkups for prisoners arose following the suicide of Gobinda Sahu - a high-profile murder case under trial. Sahu ended his life on December 20, inside a jail in Kantabanji sub-jail in Balangir district, before being produced at the local court. Following this, a notification issued by the Health department stated that clinical psychologists would be deployed exclusively to screen, treat, and evaluate the mental illnesses of prisoners.

The newly deployed residents, psychologists, and specialists also conduct workplace stress management workshops and have trained medical officers, paramedics, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and teachers, among others. According to a report by the Indian Express, health secretary Shalini Pandit said that all psychiatric specialists and psychologists would provide mental healthcare services for at least half a day every month for the examination of jail inmates of all jails in 30 districts. The respective districts have been asked to work out the visit dates and facilitate counselling of prisoners with mental health concerns.

Also Read: The Mental Health Epidemic: About 56 Million Indians Suffer From Depression