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

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Health care professionals on staff at these facilities include primary carephysicians, physician assistants, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Onesocial worker is responsible for coordinating discharge planning at boththe Wackenhut and Elizabeth facilities. There is also a social worker atYork County Prison.General Health of DetaineesAlmost all of the detained asylum seekers interviewed for this studyreported having good physical health prior to experiencingpersecution/mistreatment which caused them to flee their native countries.Eighty-six percent denied having any serious physical problems prior tothe mistreatment/abuse they experienced. However, 30 % described theirphysical health as poor at the time that they fled their countries. At thetime the interviews were conducted, 34% described their physical healthas poor. Forty-six percent reported that they believed their physical healthhad worsened during the time they were in detention (Table 11).Reported Health ProblemsSixty-two of the seventy study participants (89%) reported having at leastone physical health problem they considered serious during the time theywere in detention. These 62 individuals reported a total of 137 serioushealth problems. The most common types of health problems reported areshown in Figure 1. These include musculoskeletal pain (reported by 39%of the 70 detainees interviewed), headaches (reported by 34%), gastrointestinalcomplaints (24%), ear, nose and throat complaints (19%), dental(16%), dermatologic (10%) and ophthalmologic (10%). Eleven of 14women interviewed (79%) reported having experienced a gynecologicalproblem which they considered to be serious while in detention.Detained asylum seekers reported that 33% of these health problemsimproved while in detention, whereas 42% of the problems remained thesame and 25% of the health problems reported worsened while the subjectswere in detention. Twenty-five (40%) of the 62 individuals whoreported having serious health problems indicated that at least one serioushealth problem worsened during their detention (Table 12).Access to Care and Quality of CareNearly all of the detainees interviewed (95%) reported needing or wantingto see a doctor during the time they were in detention. Detainees reportedbeing seen by a health professional for 90% of the total serious healthproblems they reported. Most treatment was provided in the detentionfacilities, while 19% of the health problems were reportedly treated athealth facilities outside of the detention center. Detainees felt that treat-PHYSICAL HEALTH, MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND MEDICAL CARE 89
Case #2 (JG): “Health Care in Chains”JG’s Christianity led to persecution in her predominantly Muslimhomeland. She was forced to flee her village, and suffered sexualassault and beatings, including a blow to the head by a soldier’s gun,resulting in a broken tooth. Several family members were killed. JGfled to the US with a false passport and found herself in an INS detentioncenter for 5 months. JG described her interview by INS officialsat the airport.There was no privacy. I was interviewed and they said, ‘We aretaking you back right now to your country.’ I told them I’m notsafe in my country. They said ‘go wait.’ They didn’t explain anythingto me about asylum.JG wasn’t sent back; instead she was transported in shackles to adetention center. When interviewed, she reported episodes of nervousnessand sadness. These symptoms started before fleeing, butmarkedly worsened during detention.In the night I wake up really shaking and my heart is pounding.Sometimes I don’t sleep. Sometimes when the door opens Ijump. I feel like the soldiers are coming at me. If I wasn’t indetention, I could go for a walk, but here you are shut in withnowhere to go.She didn’t ask about counseling because:They don’t offer that. I think it would be nice if they had peopleto come and give counseling or just listen to you. That wouldease the load.She didn’t, however, want medications for her symptoms.I’ve seen when women in my dorm are put on strong doses tosleep. Some of them just look like they’re constantly sleeping.JG also suffered physical ailments: headaches, dizziness and pain inher broken tooth. She was seen by an eye doctor outside of the detentionfacility, but found the process humiliating.The doctor tested my eyes. [The doctor] didn’t talk to me, justwrote a report. I found it very scary because I was in chains.You’re at a big hospital and everyone is looking. You’re in chainsand in pain; It’s very uncomfortable. They chain you both your90 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
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In many facilities, the response to
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years in detention, she finally got
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abuse For example, while being take
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They didn’t let me use the phone
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intensely personal events they had
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Limitations of this study include t
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Non-governmental organizations serv
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22 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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the late 1990s ranging from 10 to 7
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Historical BackgroundFor most of th
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international standards with the 19
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apply for asylum make up the majori
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tion judge. 57 Yet in many parts of
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York and Newark, New Jersey has had
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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 57 and 58: 48 FROM PERSECUTION TO PRISON
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 and 68: Case #1(DK): “Loneliness and Fear
Page 69 and 70: TABLE 6:Hopkins Symptom Checklist-2
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: e somatic manifestations of the psy
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
Page 119 and 120: CASE #3 (HN): “SOLITARY CONFINEME
Page 121 and 122: Here, I’m scared. In [the detenti
Page 123 and 124: emote control and watch what he wan
Page 125 and 126: Whenever someone misbehaves, they t
Page 127 and 128: This subject was himself threatened
Page 129 and 130: One detainee reported several incid
Page 131 and 132: Some Process Exists to Respond to R
Page 133 and 134: There were no witnesses other than
Page 135 and 136: tion. An INS officer said they put
Page 137 and 138: There is an Anglican minister who c
Page 139 and 140: The dentists didn’t explain anyth
Page 141 and 142: tion between dental age and chronol
Page 143 and 144: Case #4 (LK): “Fifteen-Year-Old G
Page 147 and 148: 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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