The Law Enforcement Council confirms in today’s paper what was already clear: St. Maarten is simply not equipped to adequately handle drug addicts and people with mental disorders who come into contact with the police.
The Turning Point rehab shelter and Mental Health Foundation (MHF) do what they can, while in the case of youngsters the Miss Lalie
Youth Care and Rehabilitation Centre may be an option. However, none of these is really geared towards this particular group that demands detention with special attention, so requirements for such are unfortunately not being met.
The result in practice is that the persons concerned are often at risk of becoming repeat offenders and ending up in a revolving-door prison situation, with all consequences for themselves and the entire community. Moreover, the problem indirectly adds to an already heavy burden of the Justice system.
Of course, funds will be needed for both personnel and proper facilities to effectively tackle this shortcoming. Still, any money to be spent that way could be considered a worthwhile investment that is likely to pay off in terms of lessening the negative impact on society and the tourism economy, but also by helping to reduce the loss of valuable time and energy as well as frustration among authorities, so they can better concentrate on doing the job for which they’re actually trained and qualified.
