by Lucky Toltecatl
The IMU and SHUs need to be shut down permanently.
Prisoners whose mental illnesses cannot be treated- ITAL are all END placed into confinement here in Oregon's IMU on the same tiers and sections with perfectly sane prisoners. While the mentally ill thrive on the chaos of their disorders and act out with 24 hours a day screaming, banging on the walls, kicking doors, contaminating tiers and cells with feces and urine, where the next prisoner is forced to move into, unaware of the prior prisoners activities.
This is cruel and unusual punishment and it is illegal and unconstitutional. But the states of Oregon, California and Washington show no remorse in continuing these corrupt and illogical forms of confinement.
I've personally experienced this involuntary confinement 3 different times. I've seen the psychological changes in many prisoners, from losing touch with reality to seeing things, hearing voices, delirium, hyperactivity, unusual sleep patters, paranoia and ultimately to suicide. I've enclosed the article on Aaron Munoz (my close friend). Two weeks prior to his release from prison he committed suicide! On the outside he was the most level headed individual I've met. He was a musician, artist and free thinker.
How many more prisoners have to kill themselves before they Unlock the Box? We need your help and support!
A recent report by the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons concluded that:
"The rising use of high-security segregation units is counterproductive, often causing violence inside prisons and contributing to recidivism upon release.
"Although designed to isolate the most dangerous inmates, segregation units increasingly house those who may appear unmanageable but who pose no danger to others or are mentally ill. Prisoners are often released from solitary confinement-- where they experience extreme isolation from human contact for long periods-- directly to the streets, despite the proven risk of doing so."(1)
There is no guarantee of rehabilitation on any level here in Oregon's DOC, for regular criminals or mentally ill criminals (there is a difference).
I have had no screening for my placement in this control unit and I am housed with at least seven severely mentally ill prisoners. On a tier of 16, that makes 9 non-mentally ill prisoners in seclusion, separation and lack of conversation (can you imagine not saying a word to another human for 3 months?) until someone who has similar color, beliefs or age comes along, breaking the silence.
This type of confinement creates conflicts (often life threatening) with other prisoners and cops and staff. People who would usually have had no problems prior to this type of confinement. Having fallouts with other prisoners can and does lead to many problems outside this confinement. Many prisoners are led to psychiatrists to express concerns, issues and problems, leading to the prescription of mind altering pharmaceuticals and psychotropic and anti-psychotic pills that further the destruction of the human mind.
With movements like Unlock the Box we can eventually confront these conditions in the courts to stop this torturous confinement and treatment from continuing.
Notes:
(1) Warren, Jenifer. U.S. prison system failing on many fronts, report finds. Los Angeles Times.
MIM responds: There are some contradictions in this comrade's article. It tries to draw a distinct line between the "mentally ill" and everyone else. But at the same time, it cites direct experience with Control Units changing the mental state of people subjected to such torture. Aaron Munoz was apparently pushed as far as committing suicide by the torturous conditions in Oregon's IMU, while the author can attest to his mental clarity prior to being in the IMU.
The author seems to imply that those deemed "mentally ill" should be sent somewhere separate from others to be "treated." But the author also recognizes that psychiatric treatment is also a form of social control.
In New York, another state that is not ashamed of its widespread use of SHU torture units, there was a bill, recently rejected by Governor Pataki, that would have forbidden the DOC from putting people labeled "mentally ill" in the SHU. Comrade Lucky should consider whether this advances the struggle against torture or social control in any way. Those who are not considered "mentally ill" are still subject to torture through the SHU, where they are likely to start going crazy themselves. Meanwhile, those who are already considered "crazy" by the state are handed over to psych wards for reconditioning. Of course if this bill keeps some people out of the SHU and does not prescribe alternate torture, it is at least some small progress.
The comrade is correct to point out that being put in an isolation cell near other prisoners who are delusional or screaming 24 hours a day is just part of the torture that prisoners suffer in Control Units. Some people will be able to handle the conditions better than others. But they are all being tortured. And they all would benefit from socialization, education, fresh air and exercise. That's why MIM calls on people to Unlock the Box. Let everyone out of these units and destroy them because they are only destroying humyn lives.