From Persecution to Prison - Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of ...

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DK subsequently was transferred back to a facility where therewere solely INS detainees.Although DK reported no serious medical problems while in detention,he described a deterioration of his mental health, referringspecifically to extreme anxiety with sudden spells of terror, which heattributed largely to his imprisonment with criminals and to the constantthreats of segregation and deportation.When you see [ officers] sending someone back to his country atnight, you think they might be coming to get you, too… Like lastnight, some of my roommates saw [one detainee] taken away in themiddle of the night and when I woke up he was gone. I felt scared.I say, ‘It can happen to anyone.’DK also reported symptoms of depression, including sadness, difficultysleeping and low energy, and symptoms of trauma, such asrecurrent nightmares. He attributes these problems to his long confinement:Here you are, just in the same place, nothing to do, unable to goanywhere. Sleep just don’t come… In [my] dream the people die,they’re killing people the way my parents died. When I have thedream about these things, I shout in the night. Or I talk. Myroommates tell me I talk too much.DK said he received psychological counseling “maybe two times”at one detention facility before he was transferred. An experience witha counselor at another facility was positive: “[The counselor] wasmaking me feel good. [The counselor] said, ‘You feel sad. You cancome and talk to me.’ It helped because [The counselor] was the onlyone who made me feel good. [The counselor] was willing to listen.”When asked if he was taking medication to help him sleep he said hedid not know such medication was available.DK subsequently won protection under the Convention AgainstTorture, but the INS appealed. After almost two years in Americanjails, DK was paroled pending a retrial of his case.DK spoke out against the policy of detaining asylum seekers.Sometimes INS says we are criminals. We are not criminals. Wedeserve the chance. If we do crime put us in jail. But we do nocrime. I came to this country for freedom.MENTAL HEALTH OF DETAINED ASYLUM SEEKERS 59
TABLE 6:Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 Anxiety Symptoms (N=70)SymptomIndividuals experiencing symptom quite a lotor extremely in week prior to interviewNumber (%)Suddenly scared for no reason 29 (41)Feeling fearful 45 (64)Faintness, dizziness, weakness 24 (34)Nervousness or shakiness inside 42 (60)Heart pounding or racing 33 (47)Trembling 18 (26)Feeling tense or keyed up 35 (50)Headaches 36 (51)Spells of terror or panic 36 (51)Feeling restless, can’t sit still 38 (54)Among individuals scoring above cutoff score for HSCL-25 Anxiety: (n=54)Number (%)When did symptoms begin? (n=53 respondents)Before beginning to experience difficulties 0persecution in their countrySince beginning to experience persecution 45 (85)but before arriving in the USSince being detained by the INS 8 (15)Since being in INS detention, have symptoms:(n=52 respondents)Improved 0Stayed the same 7 (13)Gotten worse 45 (87)To what extent is detention contributing to the symptoms?(n=51 respondents)Not at all 1 (2)A little 6 (12)Quite a lot or extremely 44 (86)60 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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From Persecution to Prison:The Heal
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CONTENTSAcknowledgements . . . . .
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The Bellevue/NYU Program for Surviv
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don, Miranda Ip, and Meriam Alrashi
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Significant symptoms of depression
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Detained asylum seekers participati
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persecution, yet most emphasized ho
Page 17 and 18: In many facilities, the response to
Page 19 and 20: years in detention, she finally got
Page 21 and 22: abuse For example, while being take
Page 23 and 24: They didn’t let me use the phone
Page 25 and 26: intensely personal events they had
Page 27 and 28: Limitations of this study include t
Page 29 and 30: Non-governmental organizations serv
Page 31 and 32: 22 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
Page 33 and 34: the late 1990s ranging from 10 to 7
Page 35 and 36: Historical BackgroundFor most of th
Page 37 and 38: international standards with the 19
Page 39 and 40: apply for asylum make up the majori
Page 41 and 42: tion judge. 57 Yet in many parts of
Page 43 and 44: York and Newark, New Jersey has had
Page 45 and 46: trict began denying parole to them
Page 47 and 48: Correctional Facility in 2000. “[
Page 49 and 50: men of which 750 were detained on i
Page 51 and 52: from that same country from seeking
Page 53 and 54: Detention Facilities in this StudyF
Page 55 and 56: high reliability in numerous langua
Page 59 and 60: York County Prison in York Pennsylv
Page 61 and 62: TABLE 2:Demographic Characteristics
Page 63 and 64: TABLE 4:Prevalence of Pre-Migration
Page 65 and 66: on a part time basis, researchers w
Page 67: Case #1(DK): “Loneliness and Fear
Page 71 and 72: TABLE 8:Harvard Trauma Questionnair
Page 73 and 74: think such services were available.
Page 75 and 76: When I am talking to you now it is
Page 77 and 78: After being granted asylum and rele
Page 79 and 80: “Being here is like going through
Page 81 and 82: In my country even though I became
Page 83 and 84: how long they were there - six mont
Page 85 and 86: Thoughts of SuicideSeveral asylum s
Page 87 and 88: here?’ I told the doctor, they br
Page 89 and 90: Another subject reported a positive
Page 91 and 92: substantial distance from their att
Page 93 and 94: eported that her experience in dete
Page 97 and 98: e somatic manifestations of the psy
Page 99 and 100: Case #2 (JG): “Health Care in Cha
Page 101 and 102: TABLE 11:Detainee Perceptions of He
Page 103 and 104: TABLE 13:Availability and Quality o
Page 105 and 106: detainees, or because they did not
Page 107 and 108: Difficulty Obtaining Specialized Ca
Page 109 and 110: Another detained asylum seeker repo
Page 111 and 112: One detainee who speaks French and
Page 115 and 116: Detention Facilities in this StudyS
Page 117 and 118: even though many reported having ex
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CASE #3 (HN): “SOLITARY CONFINEME
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Here, I’m scared. In [the detenti
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emote control and watch what he wan
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Whenever someone misbehaves, they t
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This subject was himself threatened
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One detainee reported several incid
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Some Process Exists to Respond to R
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There were no witnesses other than
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tion. An INS officer said they put
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There is an Anglican minister who c
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The dentists didn’t explain anyth
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tion between dental age and chronol
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Case #4 (LK): “Fifteen-Year-Old G
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136 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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TABLE 16:Treatment/Abuses Reported
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“There is no political asylum her
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I was crying. I was so afraid with
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save her life, but was not able to
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Case #5 (CR): “Begging for Mercy
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ehind and told me to sign. He physi
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days and it is now 2 years and four
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viewers asked for additional inform
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y study participants. In evaluating
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trast, under US law, detention of s
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nation for an asylum determination
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very negative effects of detention
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authority to grant asylum and with
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absconding.” 250 Since the passag
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said “[F]reedom from imprisonment
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Standards relevant to this study ar
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“detained person” generally as
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which they are charged and a fair h
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esponse to substantial public press
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specified procedures, provided they
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PunishmentThe Detention Standard on
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any time the detainee complains.”
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while in detention, thus adding to
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Establish a Uniform National Parole
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that effect. These officers should
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Besides their inaccuracy, these exa
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friends so asylum seekers can maint
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appropriate staffing of such groups
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efugees and asylum seekers who win
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of thorough documentation. However,
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Human development is complex and di
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18. Country from which fleeing pers
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9. Being close to death.10. Forced
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Complete for each health problem:5.
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Explain:(Interviewer: Write brief n
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2. Depression SymptomsA How much we
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B. You said that you have experienc
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Explain:13. How was your physical h
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Yes ...........1No............22. W
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Explain:20. At the time of your arr
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