AIMI vs. USA - B. Anderson, Claimant

Brenda Anderson, a former female inmate wrote:

MY FEELINGS WERE DEEP AND PERSONAL. FOR I AM MENTALLY ILL. AND I WAS IN TDC ALL MY YOUNG LIFE. BEEN OUT EIGHT YEARS NOW. THEY WILL LIE TO COVER UP THEIR OWN DIRT. BUT I PRAYED FOR THIS DAY TO COME THAT WOULD PUT THEM UNDER INVESTIGATION. I CAN'T WAIT FOR 2015. I WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO SEEK JUSTICE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL.

WHILE SERVING TIME, THEY TORTURED ME BY PLACING ME IN A CELL FOR YEARS WITH NO WINDOWS AND NO TOILET. I USED THE REST ROOM IN A BIG BUCKET (WITH NO TOILET PAPER). NO BED, A SINK AND MATTRESS ON THE FLOOR. SLEPT ON A BLANKET WITH HOLES IN IT.

I WAS LOCKED BEHIND TWO DOORS, A STEEL DOOR AND BAR CELL DOORS. THEY WOULD USE SHOWING TO PUNISH ME, MEANING THEY WOULD COME GET ME TO SHOWER EVERY THREE DAYS. SOMETIMES FOR WEEKS I ATE OFF THE FLOOR LIKE AN ANIMAL WHENEVER A OFFICER CAME TO WORK IN A BAD MOOD.

IF IT WAS WINTER, I FROZE. IF IT WAS SUMMER, MY CELL FELT LIKE A OVEN. I WOULD HAVE SEIZURES, AND NO ONE CAME TO SEE ABOUT ME. NO TOOTHBRUSH, SOAP, COMB, NOTHING. SURE I COULD HAVE MY BIBLE AND WRITING BOOKS, BUT THE PROBLEM WAS THERE WAS NO LIGHT. THEY SAID IT WAS BROKE.

THEY LET MY MAIL GO OUT BUT NONE CAME IN TO ME. WHENEVER MY FATHER AND FAMILY WOULD COME TO SEE ME, THEY WERE TOLD I HAD GOTTEN INTO SOME TROUBLE AND COULD NOT HAVE VISITORS. THEY WOULD COME AND JUMP ON ME. ONCE, THEY PUT A HOLE IN MY HEAD. IN FACT THEY KNOCKED ME OUT WITH A STEEL SHIELD, AND WHEN I CAME TO, I HAD BLOOD EVERYWHERE ON ME.

I WAS TORTURED PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY UNTIL I FELT LIKE I NO LONGER WANTED TO LIVE SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO ENDURE THE SUFFERING. BUT SOMETHING INSIDE OF ME WOULDN'T LET ME DIE. THE FEDS CAME AND TOOK ME OUT OF THAT DARK CELL AND DEMANDED THAT THEY PUT ME UP FRONT WITH THE OTHER INMATES.

I WILL STOP NOW 'CAUSE IT OPENS UP WOUNDS OF PAIN IN MY MIND AND SOUL. I STILL WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SWEATING AND GRASPING; FOR THE DREAMS FEEL SO REAL. I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.

I PRAY THEY BE STOPPED AT ALL COST -- EVEN THEIR LIVES. I LOVE YOU, MARY NEAL. MY ONLY WISH IS I WISH THERE HAD BEEN A MARY NEAL WHEN I WAS IN PRISON. THERE'S A LOT MORE, BUT I WILL GET A CHANCE TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY ONE DAY. MAY GOD BE WITH YOU AND OTHERS LIKE YOU.

IN FAITH,
Brenda Anderson

RESPONSE:

My dear friend, I am so sorry you endured such hardships. We look forward to presenting your pain and suffering to the International Court, where we will apply for restorative justice for you. We will also ask the United Nations to issue directives for the USA to stop torturing and killing its mentally ill citizens. Thank you so much for having the courage to LIVE and make it to this day when we will seek justice for you and everyone who is similarly situated. So many others never made it out of the hole, Brenda. We must continue to fight for their sake and for every mentally challenged American who lies naked in dark, cold cells tonight, including some who are dying right now in restraint or by Taser -- or by their own hand. We will continue to victory, Brenda, because we must. 

According to Solitary Watch, the U.S. State Department plans to deny systemic use of solitary confinement in its report to the United Nations and claim that American citizens are protected by the U.S. Constitution from such cruel and unusual punishment. The report says in part:

"The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) forbids any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person” for the purposes of intimidation, coercion, forced confession, or punishment, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. The United States asserts that it is in all cases in alignment with CAT."

Without reports like ours, Brenda, there will be no Change, because the USA will not willingly acknowledge that there are violations of CAT happening. That is why AIMI is gathering testimony from up to 100 victims and families about torture and wrongful deaths of mentally challenged people to present to the U.N. See our website at http://AIMI-HumanRights.blogspot.com . Thank you for being the courageous advocate for human rights that you are and for sharing your story with us. See the full report about the U.S. response to the U.N. at the link below. Many blessings to you and all our claimants in "AIMI vs. USA".

U.S. Government Tells UN Committee on Torture: “There Is No Systematic Use of Solitary Confinement in the United States”
http://solitarywatch.com/2014/10/14/u-s-government-tells-un-committee-on-torture-there-is-no-systematic-use-of-solitary-confinement-in-the-united-states/

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Thank you for giving Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill.

It would be illegal to keep a dog in a tight space 23 hours a day and gas or Taser him for barking. It would be illegal to put a dog in deadly restraint for control. That happens to mentally ill people routinely in the nation's correctional facilities. What happened to Larry Neal?

Mentally Ill Americans Need Dog Justice. Treat mental illness medically, not legally. Please advocate for your congresspersons to pass H.R.3717 - The "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act." Try to elect people who support human rights and justice for all.

U.N. Investigates USA re Systemic Prison Torture

Families of mentally ill American inmates were astounded to read the headline below in Solitary Watch.com: U.S. Government Tells UN Committee on Torture: “There Is No Systematic Use of Solitary Confinement in the United States” 

I published the following comment at the article: 
With so many super max prisons and solitary jail/prison cells in the USA, it is surprising that the USA would deny its systemic use of solitary confinement. It is estimated that roughly 80,000 inmates are in solitary confinement, some for decades. Over 60 percent of the isolated inmates are mentally ill people who should be treated as psychiatric inpatients or outpatients, not punished for offenses that arose from their health disabilities. Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) plans to file an action in International Court against the USA for long-term homelessness, brutality and wrongful deaths of mentally ill Americans, especially mentally ill inmates who were denied timely psychiatric treatment to prevent offenses that led to harsh punishment. Google “AIMI vs. USA,” which will be filed in 2015. Listen to our Blogtalkradio shows on Wednesdays at 8pm Pacific Time to hear from families in mental health crises. Torturous solitary confinement and denial of visits are two of the most common complaints among family members of mentally ill inmates. [This news was discussed during our regular Wednesday radio episode of Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill at 8pm Pacific on October 15, 2015, which is archived at Blogtalkradio at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nnia1/2014/10/16/assistance-to-the-incarcerated-mentally-ill ]

According to Solitary Watch, the USA plans to deny systemic use of solitary confinement in its report to the United Nations and claim that American citizens are protected by the U.S. Constitution from such cruel and unusual punishment. The report says in part:

The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) forbids “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person” for the purposes of intimidation, coercion, forced confession, or punishment, “when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.” The United States asserts that it is in all cases in alignment with CAT. See the "protections" that Americans allegedly have:

The U.S. Constitution, along with federal and state laws, establishes standards of care to which all inmates are entitled…U.S. courts have interpreted the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution as prohibiting the use of solitary confinement under certain circumstances, especially with regard to inmates with serious mental illness or for juvenile detainees. (Specifically, under the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishments,” correctional facility administrators may not subject inmates to solitary confinement with deliberate indifference to the resulting serious harms, including suicides, suicide attempts, and serious self-injury. See Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 843 (1970); see also, e.g., Madrid v. Gomez, 889 F. Supp. 1146, 1265 (N.D. Cal. 1995) (using prolonged solitary confinement on prisoners with serious mental illness can be “the mental equivalent of putting an asthmatic in a place with little air to breathe”) …

People with mental, physical, and psychological disabilities are not punished with solitary confinement, the U.S. report asserts:

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) restrict and regulate the use of solitary confinement for persons with disabilities. Title II of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. 12132, applies to state actors, while the Rehabilitation Act applies to federal correctional facilities and correctional facilities receiving funds from the federal government. Both statutes prohibit the use of solitary confinement in a manner that discriminates on the basis of disability instead of making reasonable modifications to provide persons with disabilities access to services, programs, and activities, including mental health services. See Pa. Dep’t of Corr. v. Yeskey, 524 U.S. 206, 210 (1998).

THE UGLY TRUTH:  In addition to solitary confinement being systemically used to contain mentally ill inmates, juveniles, and many other prisoners (including those who refuse to work free or nearly free), it is further used to force potentially innocent defendants into plea bargains with trials denied. This typically happens to African Americans. Black people, especially men, are sometimes denied their Sixth Amendment right to fair, speedy, public trials, represented by adequate defense counsel, i.e., Shannon Nyamodi of North Carolina (two years), Terrell Scott of Pennsylvania (five years), and Kalief Browder of New York (three years). Black mental patients regularly experience indefinite detention without trials, which is cruel and unusal punishment. Two unfortunate examples are Mississippi inmates Marktain Kilpatrick Simmons (eight years) and Lee Vernel Knight (seven years).

Numerous commentators at the Solitary Watch article are incredulous over the prospect of the U.S. State Department denying the “systematic use of solitary confinement” in American prisons. Eileen Siple wrote,"In many counties in the US, including Harford County, MD, juveniles charged as adults are automatically placed in solitary within adult jails and prisons “for their own protection”. This can go on for months or years – until they are bailed out, waived down (unlikely), turn 18, or their cases go to trial. Isn’t that systematic?"

How can the State Department deny systemic use of solitary confinement and other torture against American prisoners with evidence and witnesses to the contrary? For example, "Dog Justice for Mentally Ill" blog carries numerous reports and videos documenting brutality and deaths of mentally ill victims in custody, which were also published on mainstream news broadcasts.The denial of systemic prison torture may be possible because a minute percentage of human rights complaints the United Nations receives originate in the United States. In "AIMI vs. the USA," the International Court will be presented with evidence that police and correction officers' often torture, brutalize and sometimes kill mentally ill Americans without incurring criminal charges. Cover-ups are more likely to follow such abuses and deaths. In addition, cruel and degrading treatment against prisoners frequently extends to family members and advocates who demand justice. Following the secret arrest and wrongful death of Larry Neal, this writer's disabled brother who was a lifelong schizophrenic heart patient, his family endured censorship, surveillance, and financial persecution for requesting an explanation about his kidnapping and murder in Memphis Shelby County Jail in 2003. Retaliation for exposing crimes against humanity in America's justice system is common, but human rights advocates must not be deterred. "Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction." ~ Cynthia Mckinney

FIVE REFERENCES:

U.S. Government Tells UN Committee on Torture: “There Is No Systematic Use of Solitary Confinement in the United States” 

http://solitarywatch.com/2014/10/14/u-s-government-tells-un-committee-on-torture-there-is-no-systematic-use-of-solitary-confinement-in-the-united-states/

Two Mississippi Inmates Are Still Awaiting Trial After 7 and 8 Years
http://breakingbrown.com/2014/04/two-mississippi-inmates-are-still-awaiting-trial-after-7-and-8-years/

Catch a Nigga by His Toe (the Kalief Browder story)

http://freespeakblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/catch-nigga-by-his-toe.html

Terrell Scott and Shannon Nyamodi: Forcing a Plea
http://dogjusticeformentallyill.blogspot.com/2013/12/terrell-scott-and-shannon-nyamodi.html

American Prisons - Worst in the World,? by Mari Maxwell, Uloop writer

http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/117547/American-Prisons-Worst-in-the-World
A poll that was taken showed that out of 10 of the worst prisons in the world, five of them existed within the confines of the United States of America.

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Thank you for giving Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill.

It would be illegal to keep a dog in a tight space 23 hours a day and gas or Taser him for barking. It would be illegal to put a dog in deadly restraint for control. That happens to mentally ill people routinely in the nation's correctional facilities. What happened to Larry Neal?

Mentally Ill Americans Need Dog Justice. Treat mental illness medically, not legally. Please advocate for your congresspersons to pass H.R.3717 - The "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act." Try to elect people who support human rights and justice for all.

Forced Drugging - Is It Ever Justified?

Below is an excerpt of an invitation by Katherine Hine to the October 8th "Human Rights Demand" show, which regarded enforced drugging. She and other guests on that episode oppose enforced psychiatric treatment, whereas Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) perceives enforced treatment, such as under AOT programs, as necessary for many people with acute mental illness to avoid homelessness, imprisonment, and avoidable deaths. Ms. Hine wrote, in part:

Katherine Hine and Sharon Cretsinger will be guests at 3 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, on Mary Neal’s daytime call-in broadcast, "Human Rights Demand." Speakers and guests should call to speak on air at (347) 857-3293 or listen by computer at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/humanrightsdemand/2014/10/08/forced-drugging--is-it-ever-justified We are talking about doing another show about forced confinement.

If anyone wants to make sure to have his or her voice heard, please call. Everyone is welcome to call in. Mental health treatment concerns us all either directly or indirectly.

Among the points that are expected to be made in the broadcast are 10 basic legal reasons why we feel forced drugging in Ohio is unlawful – particularly where forced drugging is ordered as a result of hearings in which no evidence is presented. Most of these grounds apply in other states. Sharon, who is a survivor of psychiatry as well as an MSW with many years of clinical experience within the mental illness system, will address the fact that many if not most people with psychiatric histories are capable of fully recovering without drugging, and that drugging itself can predispose a person to act violently.

See Free John Rohrer campaign
http://en.gravatar.com/jonnylucid

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AIMI members believe that persons with acute mental illness should be hospital inpatients or outpatients as opposed to jail and prison inmates. Our welcome and mission statement from AIMI's Care2 group is published below.

Thank you for joining us in giving Assistance for the Incarcerated Mentally Ill ("AIMI"). Mental health care is a vast area. To be most effective, we will limit our advocacy on this group to issues related to incarcerated mentally ill persons in America and those likely to suffer imprisonment due to their mental disorders. You are already helping the incarcerated mentally ill merely by joining this group!

Most chronically mentally ill persons do not vote or engage in America's political process, yet our legislators determine the direction of their lives. Your participation in this group demonstrates that voters are concerned about mentally ill prisoners. We welcome everyone who is interested in decriminalizing mental illness.

We hope AIMI attracts diffable person who have suffered incarceration. First person accounts are very valuable! Families of mentally ill persons, please share your input. Too often, the family members of mental patients have little voice in policy decisions that impact their lives and the lives of their sick loved ones. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health care professionals, we welcome you. Law enforcement officers, attorneys, and others who work in the criminal justice system, thank you for joining us.

We will use this group to share our experiences, seek assistance on specific cases, offer and receive advice and encouragement, and to impact public policy by denouncing criminalizing mental illness. We will discuss treatment options and impediments thereto, along with a wide range of topics having to do with mental illness.

It is not necessary for all members of Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill to agree on every topic of discussion, and neither is it likely. However, we will respect and value each other and the rights of each member to express differing views.

We believe prisons have become America's mental institutions in large part because of restrictions against enforced treatment and hospitalization of chronically mentally ill persons.  There is a serious lack of short-term inpatient care and community care for mental health crises that frequently lead to avoidable tragedies.  Long-term hospitalization is frequently needed for patients who require constant monitoring and treatment.  Imprisoning mentally ill Americans is financially wasteful, discriminatory, and inhumane.  No one can be punished into a state of mental health.

Most diffable people are capable of functioning well in society without enforced treatment or confinement. However, our advocacy in this group concentrates on providing humane options for the care of patients who are incarcerated precisely because they require either hospitalization or enforced treatment in their communities.  

In this group, we acknowledge that the decision to put chronically ill patients in charge of their own treatment options (to treat or not to treat) contributed to the criminalization of mental illness. Enforced psychiatric treatment is often necessary for acute mental patients’ safety. These patients are usually expected to make major health decisions while in a demented mental state. We believe someone other than the acute mental patient must be allowed to make their treatment decisions before any tragedy occurs, or mental patients face the likelihood of repeated arrests for crimes committed while in a mental crisis.

AIMI's goal is to gain release from prison for the estimated 1.25 million incarcerated mentally ill Americans in order that they may be treated in their communities or hospitals, depending on the severity of their crimes. AIMI seeks to reverse the trend to imprison rather than treat our mental patients. We believe the laws restricting enforced hospitalization and outpatient therapy often hinder chronically mentally ill persons from receiving needed treatment.

We acknowledge that chronically mentally ill prisoners have a higher rate of return to jail than other inmates precisely because of their tendency to discontinue therapy and lapse back into psychosis. We assert that prison release for the nonviolent offenders should include mandatory treatment, at least during their parole or probationary periods. Inmates who are incarcerated for violent acts should be hospitalized for the duration of their criminal sentences or until their psychiatrists recommend release. Such psychiatric recommendations should be reviewed by the sentencing court. 

If the court agrees with the psychiatrists’ recommendation for prison release, the court should then order the patients' continued psychiatric monitoring and care as outpatients for the duration of their parole or probationary period. Mental patients who are required to receive court-ordered treatment should be zealously sought and remanded to hospitals if they disobey the court and discontinue their treatment at any point while on probation or parole.

Decriminalizing mental illness will not occur unless and until sensible alternatives to prison are available for persons in crisis. We believe that mental hospitalization in extreme cases, and community care under enforced treatment will provide the alternatives that our most severely ill citizens need in order to regain and to retain their freedom from our nation’s correctional institutions.

Welcome to our quest for justice for the incarcerated mentally ill! Thank you for your involvement in this human rights effort.

L.A. County Trades Jail for Treatment

EXTRA! Los Angeles to Offer Treatment Instead of Jail for Mentally Ill Offenders! 

http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/about-us/our-blog/69-no-state/2637-los-angeles-to-offer-treatment-instead-of-jail-for-mentally-ill-offenders

(Sept. 24, 2014) Los Angeles County has announced a plan to help low-level offenders with serious mental illness obtain alternative sentencing, allowing for treatment instead of prison time (“Mental Illness program could transform LA county justice system,” the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17).

“It is time to stop bouncing people who are mentally ill and genuinely sick between the streets and our jails,” said District Attorney Jackie Lacey. “This is an unconscionable waste of human life and money.”

This project has the potential to not only reduce recidivism rates and encourage humane treatment for the mentally ill, but also set a precedent for the criminal justice system throughout the country, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Read the entire article in "Treatment Advocacy Center" at the first link above.

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Thank you for giving Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill.

It would be illegal to keep a dog in a tight space 23 hours a day and gas or Taser him for barking. It would be illegal to put a dog in deadly restraint for control. That happens to mentally ill people routinely in the nation's correctional facilities. What happened to Larry Neal?

Mentally Ill Americans Need Dog Justice. Treat mental illness medically, not legally. Please advocate for your congresspersons to pass H.R.3717 - The "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act." Try to elect people who support human rights and justice for all.