Jerome "Hoagie" Coffey
A5-1558
SCI-Albion
10745 Route 18
Albion, PA 16475-0001

December 1, 2012

Between the Bars
P.O. Box 452103
Cambridge, MA 02142

Blog HR (Ella Baker)
Human Rights Day

"Who really takes care of the mentally ill prisoners that's warehoused in Pennsylvania Department of Corrections solitary confinement?"

By Jerome "Hoagie" Coffey

"It crushes your spirit and weakens your resistances more effectively than any other form of mistreatment"
- U.S. Senator John McCain

Our own United States Senator John McCain can identify with the effects of solitary confinement because he himself spent two years in solitary confinement as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

The last 11 years housed in solitary confinement, living in a 7-feet by 10-feet cell, maintaining soundness of mind but solitary confinement affects one's mind if you surrounded by mentally ill prisoners who frequently have psychotic episodes (i.e. schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinosis, depression etc.)

Nonetheless, the mentally ill prisoners' rehabilitation fall on deaf ears in the hands of their caretakers such as the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections "PA-DOC" (i.e. psychology specialized service a.k.a. so called treatment staff).

However, PA-DOC warehoused more than 2,500 prisoners in solitary confinement and 800 of them are registered as mentally ill patients.

Today, PA-DOC subcategorizes solitary confinement (i.e. Special Management Unit, Long Term Segregated Unit, Administrative Custody Status, Disciplinary Custody Status, Capital Case Status, Restricted Release Status, and most recently Annexation Security Threat Group Unit. In fact, it's all under the auspices jurisdiction of operational manual G.S.I. administration of security level 5 Restricted Housing Unit, despite the status.

Also, from my understanding according to the Black's Law Dictionary ninth edition by Bryan A. Garner page 1194, solitary confinement is defined as "separate confinement that gives a prisoner extremely limited access to other people; esp. the complete isolation of a prisoner".

The last decade many advocates oppose solitary confinement, spent countless campaigns to expose solitary confinement to lawmakers, federal and state.

Those so called solitary confinement hearings by lawmakers, federal and state, is nothing but grandstanding. For example:

- August 3, 2010, Pennsylvania state lawmakers (i.e. House Judiciary Committee) conduct a public hearing on solitary confinement.

- June 19, 2012, United States lawmakers (i.e. Senate Judiciary Committee) conduct a public hearing on solitary confinement.

- September 18, 2012, Pennsylvania state lawmakers (i.e. House Judiciary Committee) conduct a public hearing on solitary confinement.

Since closing mental hospitals, as a result, mentally ill patients are increasingly sent to state prisons for minor crimes and end up warehoused in solitary confinement with no proper psychological counseling service. Especially in the hands of PA-DOC. Among other prison systems throughout United States.

Finally, Ella Baker is my [illegible] who fought and struggled for human rights for all walks of life.

I am urging advocates who oppose solitary confinement to organize a massive email to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett to remove and ban all mentally ill prisoners from solitary confinement and transfer them to forensic units for better treatment.

And have PA-DOC Psychology Special Service hold them accountable and adhere to operational manual (i.e. 13.8.1 access to mental health) and stop manipulating mental patients' record.

In struggle
In solidarity
Stay alert
Stiff resistance

Jerome "Hoagie" Coffey 12-1-12
betweenthebars.org/blogs/628/jeromecoffey