By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THIRTY officers were certified yesterday to help care for mentally ill inmates.

The Correctional Behavioural Health Certification Awards ceremony was held at The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services, with dignitaries, family, and friends gathering to celebrate. The 30 participants included six registered nurses.

“We just don’t want training, we want certification,” said acting Prison Commissioner Doan Cleare. “And that’s what we are doing now. We have finished 30. We are now about to enrol 30 more. It is our goal to have at least 200 correctional officers certified in mental health management because right now, we were only concerned about maximum and the remand centre with mental health challenges, but it’s now spreading to medium security.”

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe praised the officers.

“Congratulations to the 30 who have earned their certificates,” he said. “I understand that two are pending. And even of that, 32 to 40 were selected. And so that tells me that this is not a rubber stamp exercise: this is an exercise where the 30 of you, with the two pending, would have truly passed the course because eight people didn’t, and we look forward to you leading by example.”