World Day Against the Death Penalty 2022: “Psychological Problems and the Response of the U.S. Prison System…”

Death Penalty:
A road paved with TORTURE

On 10.10.2022 the 20th World Day against the Death Penalty is dedicated to the focus on TORTURE,

… because confessions are sometimes forced through physical or psychological torture,

… Prison conditions on death row are often tantamount to psychological torture,

… Members of the perpetrators suffer trauma through executions or even last-minute postponements,

… the stress of killing a person by execution sometimes leads to occupational disability,

… Victim relatives repeatedly relive the trauma of the crime – in some cases, execution occurs against their expressed will …

Thoughts of a Death Row Inmate in the USA

Believe me I know about „Torture“. I was subjected to a lot of dark events from a very young age. In my first decade or so in prison I was brought to reality very fast. I learned that the U.S. prison system isn´t here to help inmates become better humans upon their release.

They take people with mental disorders and run us through the gauntlet. When one reaches out to the Mental Health Dept., instead of treatment, they lock you up in a strip cell, nude, and drug you up. Prison administrators ensure there are a constant stream of repeat customers.

The psychologist there in Ely is very combative and antagonizes people into outbursts. In the many times that I reached out for psychological help, I have never had a real One-on-One with anyone.

Interests of the prison system

The main concern the prison has is, are we suicidal or homicidal. The only reason for that is if we kill ourselves or others, then there will be empty cells. That is bad for business. Many years ago, I read a book about the history of the U.S. prison system and was shocked to read that psychological abuse was a normal training for prison officers.

Mind games is a way to keep inmates at each others’ throats instead of the guards. Prison is supposed to be a structured environment for people who are unstable. But when one comes to prison, you realize, chaos is strongly encouraged. In other words, they feed into everyone’s mental illness.

Believe me, after 25 years behind these fences, I know mental health is the main „Elephant in the Room“.  I mean poverty plays a role in incarceration in the U.S. because if you don´t have money an effective legal team, more than likely, you´re going to prison. But once you get here, they break you.

What you can do…

There are two things you could do in prison, you could allow them to continue to break you and any human qualities you have left, or you could find your true self and learn how to fight back and become strong from the inside.

Learn that there is a war on your mental wellbeing and so don’t become a preferred customer for the U.S. Dept. of Corrections because, the only thing they are correct about is how to get rich from people’s mental disorders.

Prisoner on Death Row in the U.S