Two men who were being held at Jamaica’s Duhaney Park Police Station lock-up are suspected to have died from tuberculosis within 15 days of each other, exposing renewed concerns about overcrowding and health conditions inside police detention facilities.
One of the men died in late August 2026, shortly after being taken to Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), while the second died on September 5, according to a report published Sunday, September 13, by The Gleaner. Both had previously been arrested and charged and were being held at the Duhaney Park lock-up.
The health concerns intensified on Wednesday night, September 9, when two other detainees from the lock-up were taken to KPH with suspected tuberculosis and other illnesses. One was admitted to a hospital ward, while the other reportedly remained in a wheelchair awaiting care.
Medical sources told The Sunday Gleaner on Thursday, September 10, that police officers from Duhaney Park were taking seriously ill detainees to KPH or nearby clinics almost daily.
The sources reported cases involving suspected TB, scabies and severe wound infections. One detainee was reportedly at risk of losing a foot because of extensive infection.
The scale of the overcrowding has also become a major concern.
During the first week of September, the Duhaney Park lock-up was reportedly holding 80 male detainees, despite having historically been designated to hold female detainees and having a maximum capacity of only 12 people.
The overcrowding is not a new concern.
In October 2025, the Police Civilian Oversight Authority highlighted what it described as overcrowding and a “deplorable state of affairs” at five major lock-ups in Jamaica’s Area Four policing region, including Duhaney Park.
The latest deaths have also drawn the attention of Jamaica’s Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM). On Friday, September 11, INDECOM said it was investigating nine deaths in police custody so far in 2026. The agency confirmed that at least one Duhaney Park case, involving a man taken into custody on August 25, was already under investigation after he died the same day he was taken to hospital.
Human-rights advocates have warned that the situation goes beyond the treatment of prisoners and represents a wider public-health issue.
Tamika Harris, president of the Advocates Association of Jamaica, said on Friday that reports of tuberculosis and overcrowding represented an active public-health emergency. She stressed that the State has a constitutional duty to protect the health and safety of people whose liberty it has taken away, including those who have not been convicted.
Jamaicans for Justice has also called for urgent action, arguing that overcrowding is being worsened by lengthy remand periods, bail restrictions and mandatory minimum sentences.
The issue is particularly serious because tuberculosis is airborne and can spread rapidly in crowded, poorly ventilated environments. Jamaica’s Health Ministry requires suspected or confirmed cases to be reported within 24 hours.
The Government has acknowledged broader problems with detention capacity. Last week, State Minister for National Security and Constitutional Affairs Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn said plans were being advanced for a $9-billion maximum-security facility to replace ageing and overcrowded facilities.
But that facility is intended for convicted prisoners, leaving questions about how the immediate problem of overcrowding in police lock-ups—where accused persons await court proceedings—will be addressed.
For now, authorities face pressure to determine whether the suspected TB deaths are connected, whether other detainees and police officers have been exposed, and whether conditions at Duhaney Park are contributing to the spread of infectious disease.
The controversy also raises a fundamental issue of justice: people awaiting trial are presumed innocent, yet some are being held in conditions that human-rights advocates say may expose them to serious illness.
The Ministry of National Security had been asked for islandwide information on detainees who have become sick or required hospitalisation, but The Sunday Gleaner reported that no response had been received by Friday evening.
