A public appeal for West Virginia inmate $ 23803
This blog entry is different than my usual entry. It concerns the treatment of a very specific individual in the West Virginia penal system. Throughout the nation attention has been on the often cruel and ineffective treatment of inmates in our prisons and jails. The United States remains a nation, which continues to incarcerate more people, keep them incarcerated longer, and has a higher recidivism rate than other so called developed nations. Our jails and prisons have also become the new and even crueler State Hospitals for the mentally ill and the addicted. The cost of this method of punishing folks for having an illness is financially and spiritually very high. It is time that we used social media to make our collective voice heard. Together we can remind our public servants that we are the employers and we will no longer tolerate this cruel, costly and ineffective treatment. Inmate #23803 is a real person. If you want his name he has agreed to allow me to use it to demand justice.
#23803
There is a young man in the West Virginia Mount Olive Correctional Center, inmate #23803, who has been in solitary confinement for over four years. His original diagnosis was addiction. This young man has been in the system since he was a young man. He was paroled from St. Mary’s Correctional Center about 6 years ago and accepted to live in a transition facility. Not surprisingly, this young man eventually relapsed – addiction is a chronic disease – got into a physical fight at a bar and was sent to Mount Olive Correctional Center. My understanding is that he had a reputation as the man to beat in a fight to establish one’s place in the prison. He was in a fight shortly after arriving at Mount Olive and placed in solitary confinement. That was over four years ago. He tells me that during those four years he has not received any counseling or treatment for addiction or any other condition.
I tried to visit him this past summer but when I talked to the staff at Mount Olive I was told that I did not need to visit him because they had counselors on staff. The one time I was allowed to visit him about 3 years ago he was brought in in handcuffs and leg irons with a guard stations outside the glass window. Even though I had made prior arrangements to visit him when I arrived they had no record of having agreed to that. I was eventually able to visit him but have not been allowed to do so since. I do write him regularly and also occasionally put money in an account for him to get basic supplies.
Recently I wrote to the Governor who turned the matter over to the commissioner who is in charge of the Division of Corrections in West Virginia. This is Mr. Jim Rubenstein. Mr. Rubenstein eventually wrote back saying that he had investigated and determined that Mr. Connor’s long term placement in solitary confinement (Quilliamns 2 unit) is appropriate. He gave no details as to how he arrived at this decision. I have written back to him but have not, to date, received an answer. I have also this week written to the staff of the Marshall Project. Mr. Connor had told me that despite him being in solitary confinement, not able to work, listen to music or otherwise have positive stimulation and help they find ways to charge him with infractions of the rules. I have no idea of how he manages to break rules or what rules those are.
Throughout the nation many are now examining the practice of keeping inmates in solitary confinement and eventually releasing them to function in the larger community. Obviously, they are consistently ill prepared to take their place in the larger community.
Inmate # 23803 cannot be the only one in the West Virginia Correctional System being treated in this manner. Unless, folks in West Virginia demand that the Governor and Mr. Rubenstein take corrective action there will not be any change in this archaic, cruel and ineffective practice. I am asking that everyone who reads this post write to both Governor Tomblin and Commissioner Rubenstein. I am also recommending that you send copies of your letters to West Virginia Public Radio, 60 minutes and the Marshall Project. You may also want to send copies to your legislative representatives.
The practice of incarcerating individuals with chronic illness such as addiction and mental illness has to stop. Treating individuals as less then and as bad people who are undeserving of our compassion and help is immoral, very financially costly and ineffective. No one asks for or prays for a mental illness or other chronic illness such as addiction. That could be any of us in solitary confinement at Mount Olive or some other institution in West Virginia.
If others do not join me in calling attention to this travesty, I am fearful that Inmate # 23803 will be treated even worse. There is no reason for the West Virginia officials to think that someone now living in Florida - a person not able to vote in West Virginia – presents a threat to their perverted sense of justice.
Please make sure all your Facebook friends are aware of this situation. Together we can begin to change the system. #23803 has no voice. We must be his voice and the voice of all those being mistreated or not treated for their chronic diseases.
Together, as a community we can use our combined resources to make a difference for and with each other.
Written October 20, 2015
This blog entry is different than my usual entry. It concerns the treatment of a very specific individual in the West Virginia penal system. Throughout the nation attention has been on the often cruel and ineffective treatment of inmates in our prisons and jails. The United States remains a nation, which continues to incarcerate more people, keep them incarcerated longer, and has a higher recidivism rate than other so called developed nations. Our jails and prisons have also become the new and even crueler State Hospitals for the mentally ill and the addicted. The cost of this method of punishing folks for having an illness is financially and spiritually very high. It is time that we used social media to make our collective voice heard. Together we can remind our public servants that we are the employers and we will no longer tolerate this cruel, costly and ineffective treatment. Inmate #23803 is a real person. If you want his name he has agreed to allow me to use it to demand justice.
#23803
There is a young man in the West Virginia Mount Olive Correctional Center, inmate #23803, who has been in solitary confinement for over four years. His original diagnosis was addiction. This young man has been in the system since he was a young man. He was paroled from St. Mary’s Correctional Center about 6 years ago and accepted to live in a transition facility. Not surprisingly, this young man eventually relapsed – addiction is a chronic disease – got into a physical fight at a bar and was sent to Mount Olive Correctional Center. My understanding is that he had a reputation as the man to beat in a fight to establish one’s place in the prison. He was in a fight shortly after arriving at Mount Olive and placed in solitary confinement. That was over four years ago. He tells me that during those four years he has not received any counseling or treatment for addiction or any other condition.
I tried to visit him this past summer but when I talked to the staff at Mount Olive I was told that I did not need to visit him because they had counselors on staff. The one time I was allowed to visit him about 3 years ago he was brought in in handcuffs and leg irons with a guard stations outside the glass window. Even though I had made prior arrangements to visit him when I arrived they had no record of having agreed to that. I was eventually able to visit him but have not been allowed to do so since. I do write him regularly and also occasionally put money in an account for him to get basic supplies.
Recently I wrote to the Governor who turned the matter over to the commissioner who is in charge of the Division of Corrections in West Virginia. This is Mr. Jim Rubenstein. Mr. Rubenstein eventually wrote back saying that he had investigated and determined that Mr. Connor’s long term placement in solitary confinement (Quilliamns 2 unit) is appropriate. He gave no details as to how he arrived at this decision. I have written back to him but have not, to date, received an answer. I have also this week written to the staff of the Marshall Project. Mr. Connor had told me that despite him being in solitary confinement, not able to work, listen to music or otherwise have positive stimulation and help they find ways to charge him with infractions of the rules. I have no idea of how he manages to break rules or what rules those are.
Throughout the nation many are now examining the practice of keeping inmates in solitary confinement and eventually releasing them to function in the larger community. Obviously, they are consistently ill prepared to take their place in the larger community.
Inmate # 23803 cannot be the only one in the West Virginia Correctional System being treated in this manner. Unless, folks in West Virginia demand that the Governor and Mr. Rubenstein take corrective action there will not be any change in this archaic, cruel and ineffective practice. I am asking that everyone who reads this post write to both Governor Tomblin and Commissioner Rubenstein. I am also recommending that you send copies of your letters to West Virginia Public Radio, 60 minutes and the Marshall Project. You may also want to send copies to your legislative representatives.
The practice of incarcerating individuals with chronic illness such as addiction and mental illness has to stop. Treating individuals as less then and as bad people who are undeserving of our compassion and help is immoral, very financially costly and ineffective. No one asks for or prays for a mental illness or other chronic illness such as addiction. That could be any of us in solitary confinement at Mount Olive or some other institution in West Virginia.
If others do not join me in calling attention to this travesty, I am fearful that Inmate # 23803 will be treated even worse. There is no reason for the West Virginia officials to think that someone now living in Florida - a person not able to vote in West Virginia – presents a threat to their perverted sense of justice.
Please make sure all your Facebook friends are aware of this situation. Together we can begin to change the system. #23803 has no voice. We must be his voice and the voice of all those being mistreated or not treated for their chronic diseases.
Together, as a community we can use our combined resources to make a difference for and with each other.
Written October 20, 2015
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