Guantanamo psychiatric ward

In addition to the regular camps for detainees held in extrajudicial detention there is a Guantanamo psychiatric ward at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp complex in Cuba.[1] The Department of Defense announced the opening of the psychiatric facility in March 2003. Camp Commandant Geoffrey Miller denied that the opening of the psychiatric facility was solely in response to detainees' suicide attempts. Larry C. James was the chief psychologist in 2003.

The Guantanamo detention camp complex includes a psychiatric facility.

In April 2008 the Adam M. Robinson, the United States Navy's Surgeon General, wrote that the "...core psychological health team comprised of one psychologist, one psychiatrist, five behavioral nurses and 14 psychiatric technicians."[2]

On June 7, 2010, the Washington Post reported, after obtaining the first official figures for capital costs of the Guantanamo camps to be made public, that the current building cost $2.9 million USD.[3]

Detainees known to have held in the psychiatric facility

Detainees known to have held in the psychiatric facility

ISN	name	notes
78	Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al Hanashi	Committed suicide in 2009.[4]
156	Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif	Won his habeas corpus in 2010 but died in Guantanamo in 2012.[5]
290	Ahmed Belbacha	Cleared for repatriation.[6]
669	Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair	Sent to the psychiatric facility after a meeting the camp's commandant.
743	Muhammad Saad Iqbal	Pakistani torture victim.[7][8]
10029	Inayatullah	After his death, of apparent suicide, on May 18, 2011, Inayatullah's lawyer reported that he had spent long periods in the Psychiatric unit.[9]

References

1. Ian James (2003-03-07). "Mentally ill terrorism suspects to have ward". Wilmington Morning Star. p. 6A. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
2. Adam M. Robinson, Jr. (2008-04-03). "Comprehensive Medical Care for Detained Enemy Combatants in Guantanamo". Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
3. Scott Higham; Peter Finn (2010-06-07). "At least $500 million has been spent on Guantánamo Bay renovations". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-06-07. The Pentagon spent $18.2 million on a prison hospital and $2.9 million on a psychiatric ward next door. The ward has 12 beds housed inside an elongated metal trailer-like building with reflective-glass windows and a small sign that reads "Behavioral Health Unit." The military would not permit Post reporters to look inside the facility, citing patient confidentiality.
4. David McFadden, Danica Coto (2009-06-02). "Military: Gitmo detainee dies of apparent suicide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02.
5. "Military Identifies Guantánamo Detainee Who Died". Washington, DC: New York Times. September 11, 2012.
6. Jennifer Daskal, Stacy Sullivan (2008-06-10). "The insanity inside Guantánamo: A new report reveals that a number of prisoners -- even some long ago cleared to leave -- are spiraling into hallucinations, despair and suicide". Salon magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
7. Jane Perlez, Raymond Bonner, Salman Masood, Jane (2009-01-06). "An Ex-Detainee of the U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal". The New York Times.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. "Rendered to Egypt for torture, Mohammed Saad Iqbal Madni is released from Guantánamo - Andy Worthington".
9. Carol Rosenberg (2011-06-28). "Latest Guantánamo prison camp suicide was 'indefinite detainee': The last two men to leave Guantánamo, both dead, were among the secret population of captives called "indefinite detainees."". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2012-05-05. ‘We were hopeful that we would be able to complete a psychiatric profile of him and present that information to the government in the hopes they would release him,’ said Rashkind... Rashkind said his client had a history of psychological problems and spent long stretches in Guantánamo’s psychiatric ward. mirror