So much to do and so much to say about the political misfires in Arizona and its prison policies, it has becoming a losing cause as the clock ticks away precious time on any hope to reform the sentencing formats and pre-trial procedures for the mentally ill who suffer so greatly when they are incarcerated into prisons and lose their ability to cope and function with their constant challenges to survive and deal with the adversity that faces them upon entry into one of the worst prison systems in the United States regarding mental health care and treatment. Every convicted person, now becoming a number and prisoner faces tremendous stress and anxiety as they are hidden away among the masses of other prisoners, holding their breaths as they prepare themselves to face a dark world where kindness, understanding and acceptance takes on a complete new meaning to those who are mentally challenged and incapable of understanding their new environment without the help of others.
As the seconds on the clock tick away it has been illustrated by report after report that prisons in Arizona have replaced the role of the state hospital as masses are now incarcerated and mistreated or neglected in what would have otherwise been a more therapeutic milieu if offered out patient programming and mental health treatment in our communities. Although Arizona has some of the nation’s best mental health laws, it totally ignores the need of those who suffer disorders and commit crimes without criminal intent but do so because of their limited understanding, comprehension and ability to control their illness or disability.
Arizona, without any hesitation has opted to ignore their special needs and dispose of them into a cesspool of criminals who are convicted based on criminal intent and behaviors. Choosing to take the easy road and avoid the costs for outpatient treatment centers in our communities through approved health care channels, they ignore the fact that these mentally ill persons must now walk a line of fire among predators who will surely prey upon their weakness and inability to defend themselves. Their limited understanding of the new culture thrashed upon them will create tidal waves of anxiety levels that will make them potential suicide victims and to their family’s dismay, victims in a very predatory world.
Easily overpowered and influenced by behavioral career criminals into committing more crimes while incarcerated, they will receive limited treatment [if any] and sparse medication [due to costs] with the expressed inability to express what they have to say in order to protect themselves or keep themselves sane or treated. Rather than being locked into a prison of madness, they are locked inside themselves unable to fend for themselves and cope with the adversity that is surely a factor in their demise of becoming insane and unable to survive within the wilderness cast into. Suffering families, seeking closure on many of these tragedies have expressed hopelessness and fear that their relatives will be castaways in a system that doesn’t care about their civil rights or their right to exist in a safe and secure environment while in the custody of the state and the prison management.
Because of this misfire in direction and hesitation to take action, Arizona will most definitely weather many firestorms that will bring both tragedies and sorrow to the many who suffer from this illness or condition that seemed to be ignored and untreated for reasons beyond comprehension or human considerations. Arizona, must heed the incoming clouds of disaster that hides the sun and the reality of this problem. Shedding more light on this matter will reveal the critical need to help and manage these special needs offenders with a different stroke of the pen and allow humanity and rational thinking to take over and create better options for these persons who suffer greatly and often die inside of our prisons needlessly as many deaths are preventable and avoidable if the treatment programs are managed to identify their treatment needs before incarceration and followed up with treatment rather than incarceration as the first option on the judicial table of options. Politicians should be aware when the clouds hide the truth and the sun reveals the tragedy after the rains, it is time to change the way these persons are handled in our criminal justice system and allowed to retain their right to survive and live according to our laws and Constitution. Until this system is fixed, there will only be calm after the storm when the rains have cleansed the human spirits that rules the way our prisons are operated.
