I found you blog while doing research on a disenfranchisement paper for school- I have been back often and am often saddened and angered to hear your first hand account of the prison system in Arizona and I believe we can assume America as a whole. I have almost replied many times but for one reason or another haven’t- however this post demands a response- Pops and Slingblade do not belong in a prison- you are correct if your post are only half true ( and I believe they are 100% true but to appease the doubters out there...) these two still would be viewed as crying out for help- Pops needs medical attention and Slingblade needs mental help...but Jon please remember that the goal of our prisons here in America no longer try to help or rehabilitate those incarcerated...they seek to punish, separate and harden those who find themselves inside- My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the individuals you spend your days with- you have a gift and I hope you will continue to be a voice for the voiceless-
The system doesn't much care about one's mental health status relative to being jailed. Many times, in cases of an SMI individual that is court-ordered to take psych meds but fails to do so, they can be arrested and thrown in jail- and the odds are slim that they'll be provided with those same meds during their stay. It's a sad, sick, spiral. I honestly feel it happens simply because the mental health field is largely liberal-minded, while the law enforcement field is much more conservative...they just don't care. -Your Cousin's Wife
Jon-
ReplyDeleteI found you blog while doing research on a disenfranchisement paper for school- I have been back often and am often saddened and angered to hear your first hand account of the prison system in Arizona and I believe we can assume America as a whole. I have almost replied many times but for one reason or another haven’t- however this post demands a response- Pops and Slingblade do not belong in a prison- you are correct if your post are only half true ( and I believe they are 100% true but to appease the doubters out there...) these two still would be viewed as crying out for help- Pops needs medical attention and Slingblade needs mental help...but Jon please remember that the goal of our prisons here in America no longer try to help or rehabilitate those incarcerated...they seek to punish, separate and harden those who find themselves inside- My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the individuals you spend your days with- you have a gift and I hope you will continue to be a voice for the voiceless-
TSL
The system doesn't much care about one's mental health status relative to being jailed. Many times, in cases of an SMI individual that is court-ordered to take psych meds but fails to do so, they can be arrested and thrown in jail- and the odds are slim that they'll be provided with those same meds during their stay. It's a sad, sick, spiral. I honestly feel it happens simply because the mental health field is largely liberal-minded, while the law enforcement field is much more conservative...they just don't care.
ReplyDelete-Your Cousin's Wife