Luis Perez W33937
NCCI - GARDNER
P.O. Box 466
Gardner, MA 01440
http://betweenthebars.org/350/luis-d-perez

Your Excellency
Governor Charlie Baker
State House
Boston, Massachusetts

MENTAL HEALTH / D.O.C. / FOLLOW-UP

On my last public blog post that was published on this website, I was explaining the need of separating mental health from the Department of Correction. This entire matter was indeed very well illustrated, but no one reacted and people here in Massachusetts were indifferent because we are dealing with prisoners with mental illness.

Today I am making my point again by supporting my claims with stronger evidence: The suicide of another mental patient at NCCI - GARDNER on July 26, 2015. Another of 2 or 3 million dollar settlement at the cost of a human life.

The main problem is with the standardizing policy and regulations that create a systematic behavior for both the mental health department and the mentally ill prisoners under the care and custody of the DOC. Mental health department does not have security staff is doing the security check of the perimeter and at night after count they can't open the door until he or she received a clearance from the chain of command.

On the night of the suicide in question, a female officer was in charge of the floor and it took sometime to get the door open. There are two important issues with that: a) mental health security staff is a person who can restrain or provide mental assistance on the SPOT by opening the door and ring the body alarm for additional assistance, b) the female officer couldn't opened the door immediately because the staff have to make sure of the security first and then call for assistance to open the door.

It is my personal belief that there has been a serious complication where prisoners with mental illness have assaulted correctional staff, and it is clear to me that the systematic problem stems from the incident at MCI Shirley Medium (1992-1993) where the prisoner had the door opened and some—how he dragged the female officer into the cell and sexually abused her for several hours.

It is very important to mention that we have many good people working for the DOC and the mental health department, and I don't want to blame any person and make speculation on things that I don't know. BUT I am sincerely hopeful that Governor Baker allows me to testify before a Judiciary Committee to address issues of confinement so that the systematic problem can be properly addressed.

Luis Perez, W33937
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