The
Injustice
of
Incarceration
of Our
Mentally
Ill
The idea
for this
column
came out
of the
frustration
of
trying
to get
information
about my
son’s
unjust
incarceration.
He is in
Indiana
in
federal
prison
and I do
not know
if he is
getting
any
treatment
and when
he is
getting
out. I
am also
not
allowed
to visit
him.
My son
has
Asperger
Syndrome
and,
while
bright,
behaves
like a 2
year
old.
Unfortunately
when he
acts up,
he gets
more
time.
The
authorities
have
kept him
imprisoned
for over
4 years
for
non-violent
crimes.
Most of
his
crimes
are from
emails.
In this
time
many
people
like his
grandmother
and
cousins
have
passed
away.
He also
missed
his
sister’s
wedding.
First of
all try
calling
the
Indiana
Federal
prison.
If you
are
lucky
somebody
might
answer
in 10 to
20
minutes.
The only
one you
can
leave a
message
for is a
counselor.
I have
faxed
him and
called
and no
return
calls
have
been
made in
three
months.
I cannot
even
visit my
son
because
he has
to sign
a form
allowing
it and
Daniel
doesn’t
always
know how
to do
things
like
that due
to
social
deficits.
Of
course I
would
like to
know if
Daniel
is
getting
mental
health
treatment,
but
nobody
will
talk to
me.
Daniel
was
getting
mental
treatment
by the
Iowa
Dept. of
Corrections
until
the
Federal
government
moved
him to
federal
custody
and he
stopped
taking
effective
medication.
I even
have a
release
form to
allow me
to talk.
Another
issue is
when my
son gets
released.
Oh you
can look
it up on
the
Bureau
of
Prison’s
web
site,
but the
latest
time it
was
raised
another
2 months
without
an
explanation.
According
to my
calculations,
he
should
get out
much
earlier.
I have
another
organization
looking
into
that
issue.
By the
way, did
you know
that
when you
get
convicted
of
federal
crimes,
you have
to serve
85% of
the
time?
Unfortunately,
my son
has had
the bad
luck of
having
two
judges
and two
prosecutors
who
discard
the
notion
of
organic
brain
disorders.
They
believe
our
children
can
control
their
behaviors
at all
times.
If they
cannot,
they
should
be
punished.
Unfortunately
for
people
with
Asperger
Syndrome,
the
additional
time is
no
deterrent
because
according
to
literature
they
respond
to
positive
rewards.
My son
has a
form of
post
traumatic
stress
in his
mind. I
unequivocally
condemn
the
treatment
of my
son and
others
by the
federal
government.
Did you
know
that In
Iowa and
Illinois,
while
you are
incarcerated,
you are
billed
for each
day of
your
stay? My
son has
run up
quite a
debt.
Did you
know
that
Iowa has
sentenced
young
men with
Asperger
Syndrome
to
sentences
of 27
months
to 8
years
for
non-violent
crimes?
I know
of
another
instance
where
one
young
man
faces up
to 30
years.
His
mother
is an
attorney
and she
called
me for
my
advice.
Nobody
else is
advocating
for
these
unfortunate
souls.
Did you
know
that if
you have
schizophrenia
in Cook
County
and
attack a
police
officer
while in
a
delusional
state,
you can
expect
guards
to beat
you up
more
than
once?
It’s sad
that the
issue of
inhumane
overcrowding
in
California
had to
go to
the
Supreme
Court.
Do you
want to
make a
difference?
Join
NAMI BA
and stop
by and
see what
the
Criminal
Justice
Action
Committee
is
doing. I
will not
bow to
injustice
and I
will not
break.
You can
be
assured
I will
continue
to
advocate.
