A detailed new federal lawsuit alleges chronic abuse and neglect of mentally ill prisoners at America's most famous prison.
Over 150 years ago, in a book aptly titled House of the Dead, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that "the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." This new lawsuit, styled Bacote v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, enters Supermax in a way that none of us ever has before. For these inmates, the prison is a gulag, a place of unspeakable cruelty and state-sponsored wickedness, run by officials who ignore their own policies and seem to revel in humiliating prisoners by depriving them of basic human dignities.
The problem starts even before the men ever get to Supermax. Federal policy prohibits inmates with serious mental illness from being transferred there. But seriously mental ill inmates are nonetheless assigned there anyway. Bureau of Prison policy next requires incoming prisoners to be properly evaluated at ADX for mental health problems. But the complaint alleges that these initial screenings are "only perfunctory interviews" that typically consist of "a few questions asked in a minute or two."
The result is that many prisoners who are significantly mentally ill are not so diagnosed upon entering Supermax. And even those men who are so diagnosed are often not given appropriate treatment in the months and years that follow their arrival at the facility.
There is the legal requirement to provide medical treatment for mentally ill prisoners. And then there are the practical realities. Paragraph 63 of the complaint alleges that "only two mental health professionals -- both psychologists -- are responsible for the mental health of approximately 450 prisoners housed at [Supermax], many of whom have serious chronic mental illnesses or other mental health issues, and many others of whom experience periodic acute mental health crises."
Paragraph 5 of the complaint alleges in more detail:
Prisoners interminably wail, scream and bang on the walls of their cells. Some mutilate their bodies with razors, shards of glass, writing utensils and whatever other objects they can obtain. Some swallow razor blades, nail clippers, parts of radios and televisions, broken glass and other dangerous objects. Others carry on delusional conversations with voices they hear in their heads, oblivious to the reality and the danger that such behavior might pose to themselves and anyone who interacts with them.
Source: Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic, June 18, 2012. Andrew Cohen is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and legal analyst for 60 Minutes. He is also chief analyst and legal editor for CBS Radio News and has won a Murrow Award as one of the nation's leading legal analysts and commentators.
