Aruba forensic psychiatric care is affected by inadequate specialist facilities in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, according to Dutch government responses described by NoticiaCla on October 20. The report attributes the account to Curaçao Chronicle’s coverage of parliamentary answers.
Court-ordered treatment faces practical limits
According to the report, State Secretary for Justice and Security Claudia van Bruggen acknowledged risks for public safety and rehabilitation when offenders with serious psychiatric disorders cannot receive appropriate treatment.
Courts in Aruba and Curaçao can order TBS, a psychiatric treatment measure under judicial supervision, but the lack of suitable facilities complicates implementation. The report distinguishes that position from the legal situations in Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands.
Capacity and alternatives remain under review
Van Bruggen could not provide complete figures for people awaiting specialist treatment in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the report said. The Netherlands is cooperating with the Caribbean countries through a multi-year effort to expand capacity and professional knowledge.
The account says a high-security clinic modeled on Dutch TBS facilities may not be feasible at the islands’ scale, and alternatives are being examined. It does not announce an approved new clinic or opening date.
Source: Read the original report.
