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Monday, 20 March 2017
quote [ On June 23, 2012, Darren Rainey, a schizophrenic man serving time for cocaine possession, was thrown into a prison shower at the Dade Correctional Institution. The water was turned up top 180 degrees — hot enough to steep tea or cook Ramen noodles. ]
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eidolon said @ 8:04pm GMT on 20th March
No doubt it was cruel, so I guess the question is: Is this unusual? Is it still standard routine to more or less hose down prisoners as a form on punishment? I watch a lot of prison documentaries and while I have seen a lot of subhuman treatment, I have never seen this done. That doesn't mean the documentarians aren't capturing it or are failing to include it, but it does leave me to wonder if this qualifies as both cruel AND unusual.
I am also curious if anyone here knows more about the subject: If you'll recall I had this post about how prisoners on psych medications that reduce body temperature were being kept in cold cells and dying of hypothermia. So... what protections, if any, do we offer to inmates with mental illness?
Let's assume that punishment of someone who understands their crime is fair. Let's also assume that punishing people who don't understand their crime is, if not unfair, less fair. If a schizophrenic prisoner causes problems because of their poorly controlled mental illness, is it fair to punish them any more than it's fair to punish a diabetic who goes into a fit over low blood sugar? Granted... we do just that. Prisoners are not allowed to take food from the cafeteria (so they can't make pruno), but diabetic prisoners need more regular feeding than the prison offers, so they are often forced to choose between possible discipline or not controlling their medical issue.
Do we have any SEers who know more about the laws that protect the otherly abled and whether/how they apply once one of these individuals is convicted? It's pertinent. Prisons replaced mental institutions as the most common place we house our most mentally ill persons in this society. The prisons aren't equipped for it and it's a mess.
eidolon said @ 8:05pm GMT on 20th March
No doubt it was cruel, so I guess the question is: Is this unusual? Is it still standard routine to more or less hose down prisoners as a form of punishment? I watch a lot of prison documentaries and while I have seen a lot of subhuman treatment, I have never seen this done. That doesn't mean the documentarians aren't capturing it or that they're not just failing to include it, but it does leave me to wonder if this qualifies as both cruel AND unusual.
I am also curious if anyone here knows more about the subject: If you'll recall I had this post about how prisoners on psych medications that reduce body temperature were being kept in cold cells and dying of hypothermia. So... what protections, if any, do we offer to inmates with mental illness?
Let's assume that punishment of someone who understands their crime is fair. Let's also assume that punishing people who don't understand their crime is, if not unfair, less fair. If a schizophrenic prisoner causes problems because of their poorly controlled mental illness, is it fair to punish them any more than it's fair to punish a diabetic who goes into a fit over low blood sugar? Granted... we do just that. Prisoners are not allowed to take food from the cafeteria (so they can't make pruno), but diabetic prisoners need more regular feeding than the prison offers, so they are often forced to choose between possible discipline or not controlling their medical issue.
Do we have any SEers who know more about the laws that protect the otherly abled and whether/how they apply once one of these individuals is convicted? It's pertinent. Prisons replaced mental institutions as the most common place we house our most mentally ill persons in this society. The prisons aren't equipped for it and it's a mess.
<-- Entry / Current Comment
eidolon said @ 8:04pm GMT on 20th March
No doubt it was cruel, so I guess the question is: Is this unusual? Is it still standard routine to more or less hose down prisoners as a form of punishment? I watch a lot of prison documentaries and while I have seen a lot of subhuman treatment, I have never seen this done. That doesn't mean the documentarians aren't capturing it or that they're not just failing to include it, but it does leave me to wonder if this qualifies as both cruel AND unusual.
I am also curious if anyone here knows more about the subject: If you'll recall I had this post about how prisoners on psych medications that reduce body temperature were being kept in cold cells and dying of hypothermia. So... what protections, if any, do we offer to inmates with mental illness?
Let's assume that punishment of someone who understands their crime is fair. Let's also assume that punishing people who don't understand their crime is, if not unfair, less fair. If a schizophrenic prisoner causes problems because of their poorly controlled mental illness, is it fair to punish them any more than it's fair to punish a diabetic who goes into a fit over low blood sugar? Granted... we do just that. Prisoners are not allowed to take food from the cafeteria (so they can't make pruno), but diabetic prisoners need more regular feeding than the prison offers, so they are often forced to choose between possible discipline or not controlling their medical issue.
Do we have any SEers who know more about the laws that protect the otherly abled and whether/how they apply once one of these individuals is convicted? It's pertinent. Prisons replaced mental institutions as the most common place we house our most mentally ill persons in this society. The prisons aren't equipped for it and it's a mess.
