So last night I attended the nascent stages of a coalition forming to address the expansion of punitive segregation cells at Riker's Island. As many of you know, from the recent controversies at Pelican Bay, use of solitary confinement in our nation's prisons and jails is disgraceful and tantamount to torture under many international norms.
This is a huge problem, taking place in our own backyard . Since Brad H and other litigation, Riker's Island has been under a lot of scrutiny for their failure to handle people with mental illness in a humane manner consistent with basic standards of care. Contradictory to explicit commitments to improve their notorious rap sheet, Riker's has decided to add more punitive segregation units where people are locked up without social interaction, programs, or any privileges for 23 hours a day for extended periods of time. The mentally ill are unfortunately sucked into the "bing" due to "disciplinary infractions" which are in reality manifestations of a neglected or active mental illness. This kick starts a vicious cycle where their symptoms only get worse and the infractions easier to mount. The deleterious impact of solitary confinement on people with mental illness is well documented, and it's an egregious step backwards for NYC to let this happen.
That is why this group that met last night is forming. It is a collection of family members, formerly incarcerated individuals, lawyers, social workers, mental health advocates, and concerned citizens coming together to strategize what to do about what is a clear abuse of human rights. Last night was a great conversation, and there are some really inspiring people whose misery I cannot comprehend when describing what it's like to have a loved one or be in solitary confinement.
Where do you come in? This is exactly the type of issue this group will tackle. As budding public health professionals we need to be able to employ our diverse skills to employ a delicate dance of science and advocacy to deliver positive social change. I am recruiting people from Mailman to attend the meetings--we will need people to conduct outreach, compile datasets, etc. in due course. To get the attention of people in charge, public health is integral. We have the capacity to validate what is good for health in numbers. Numbers light the fire under the ass of people in charge, especially when dollars are attached to statistics. We need vigorous analysis combined with qualitative documentation of individual abuses to get anywhere. To me, this is what public health started as and what it should be. This will truly be a formidable challenge: getting voices from inside solitary cells heard among the public and people in power.
The next meeting of this group is not until January 30th, and i will keep you all posted. In the mean time, if you're interested in learning more, email me individually. Public health and Mailman need to be a voice in this issue. This is a large scale problem that has effects on a population level.
Get in touch. Take the time. Share your ideas.
DHC
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