When a Detainee Refuses Food: A Crisis in Criminal Justice That Demands Better Systems

A federal judge has ordered forced feeding of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who is accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., one fatally, while he awaits trial. Lakanwal had been refusing food and water. It's a stark moment that forces us to ask: What conditions are we keeping people in while they await their day in court?

This isn't about guilt or innocence. It's about what we do to human beings in our custody before a jury ever hears the evidence. And it matters because how we treat people in the system says something about who we are.

The Collision of Rights and Duty

Forced feeding raises genuine tension. On one side: a person's right to refuse treatment, even if it harms them. On the other: a government duty not to let someone die in custody. Courts have grappled with this for decades, usually allowing forced feeding only when someone's life is in immediate danger and less invasive alternatives have failed.

But the real question underneath is simpler: Why are we in this position at all?

People who refuse food and water while in custody are often experiencing severe mental health crises, trauma responses, or profound desperation. That's not an excuse for crime. It's a sign that the system failed to identify and address these crises before they became catastrophic. And it's failing again by warehousing someone in crisis instead of treating them.

A Larger Pattern

This case sits at the intersection of three broken systems: criminal justice that moves too slowly, detention conditions that fail mentally ill people, and a shortage of mental health screening and support. According to the most recent data, roughly 45% of detainees awaiting trial report symptoms of serious mental illness. Many get no treatment while held. Some deteriorate. Some harm themselves or others.

We're not debating whether someone accused of killing should face justice. We're asking whether our system has to be this brutal, this chaotic, this willing to force-feed people as a last resort instead of preventing the crisis in the first place.

Read the full reporting: Washington Post.