Growth and Death in the Prison

Since I have been back to the reformatory, I have been presently surprised by the number of guys who have graduated from the psychiatric program, CPTU. It has been great to see that they have progressed and are trying to be independent on the yard

And while this has been great to see, this comes on the heels of finding out that one of the guys I had spent time with in CPTU hung himself in his cell two weeks ago. I couldn’t help thinking that he didn’t belong in the psych unit as he was more attention seeking and a behavioral problem than anything else. And while this is only speculation from some of those I have spoken to about his death, his hanging was an attention-seeking act in itself that went wrong. Right after I finished my project in Feb. he was transferred from CPTU to the segregation unit in the prison where he ended up taking his life.

This was a great reminder why the doctors often limit the guys in CPTU to a paper gown and a mattress. While security is priority, the doctors are also very aware of the inmate’s safety. While some of the measures taken in CPTU might look inhumane, for the most part they are just trying to protect these guys from hurting themselves.

He had a child-like spirit and I very much enjoyed talking to him and listening to his commentaries about the prison. While he would yell obscenities at the officers quite often, when the guy in the cell next to him would cry wanting to get out, he would get close to the cell wall and yell back to him, “its going to be OK little buddy. Its going to be OK.”

I didn’t think I would take news like that as hard as I did. It made me realize how much important it is to tell this story of jailing the mentally ill.