ABUSE IN THE CRIMINAL SYSTEM
Mentally ill inmates generally spend their entire sentences in isolation, suffering terrible abuse and neglect. They leave without the tools to manage their illness in an even worse mental condition. Inmates in isolation only have contact with a very limited number of guards, other inmates, and the outside world; which can make it impossible to report abuse.
In some institutions the abuse has gotten out of control, it's lead to torture and murder. In these places, torture is standard operating procedure. These cases are easy to cover up by staging natural death or suicide. These are the few stories where a cover up was impossible. However, with lack of real punitive action these facilities have had multiple instances of torture and murder. We will record murder done by each facility to draw even more attention to which prisons are allowing these practices to continue.
Many of the following died due to very petty crimes. For example, one young man who died had only stolen $5.05 worth of snacks. None of them were in for a violent offense, mostly drug related arrests. Their convictions are also listed.
In some institutions the abuse has gotten out of control, it's lead to torture and murder. In these places, torture is standard operating procedure. These cases are easy to cover up by staging natural death or suicide. These are the few stories where a cover up was impossible. However, with lack of real punitive action these facilities have had multiple instances of torture and murder. We will record murder done by each facility to draw even more attention to which prisons are allowing these practices to continue.
Many of the following died due to very petty crimes. For example, one young man who died had only stolen $5.05 worth of snacks. None of them were in for a violent offense, mostly drug related arrests. Their convictions are also listed.
Documentations of Abuse (Click to Expand)
Rikers IsLand, New York.
|
Kalief Browder, an innocent teenager the state tortured into confessing.
"Being in there for about 33 [months] and then they give you an offer to go home right then and there it's like; I want to go home. But then you know you didn't do it. You don't want to take the plea and say you did it. It's not right." Dettainee Name: Kalief Browder Inmate Age: 16-22 Inmate Disability: PTSD with psychotic features. Crime: Accused of stealing a backpack. The only evidence was eye witness testimony from the victim a day after the accuse incident occurred. Sentence: Charges were eventually dropped. Isolation Infraction: Being an adolescent in an adult jail. Abuse: Right to speedy trial violated. Three years of almost constant isolation. Video of guards beating him and allowing inmates to beat him have surfaced. Location: Rikers Iskand, New York. Date of Incident: 05-06-2015 Aftermath: Suffered from acute PTSD and paranoia. Family reported he was terrified of re-arrest. Committed suicide by hanging 3 years after release. Legal Actions: Pending $20m suit. |
|
Jerome Murdough, a homeless veteran who was baked alive.
“He wasn’t just some old homeless person on the street. He was loved. He had a life. He had a family. He had feelings," Murdough's sister. Detainee Name: Jerome Murdough Inmate Age: 56 Inmate Disability: Schizophrenia Crime: Trespassing by sleeping in a stairwell (he was homeless). Sentence: He was awaiting trial in jail. He couldn't afford the $2,500 bond. Isolation Infraction: Being diagnosed with a mental illness. Abuse: Cell was 101 degrees. Location: Rikers Iskand, New York. Date of Incident: February 2014. Aftermath: Died from hyperthermia. Legal Actions: $2.25 million dollars paid to family. Jail guard Carol Lackner indited for |
|
Bradley Ballard, locked in a rotting smell no one walking by could stand for more than a few seconds.
A video of an inmate delivering a tray of food to Ballard's cell showed the inmate covering his nose with his shirt and three officers backing away. Inmate Name: Bradley Ballard Inmate Age: 39 Inmate Disability: Schizophrenia Crime: Parole violation (not updating address change) on a conviction for assaulting two people at a law firm in 2004. Sentence: Unkown. Isolation Infraction: Dancing lewdly at an officer. Abuse: Left covered in urine and feces for 7 days with medication deprived and water intermittently shut off. Location: Rikers Iskand, New York. Date of Incident: September, 2013. Aftermath: Died from septic shock from genital infection. Legal Actions: $5.75 million dollars paid to family. Classified as a homicide though no charges were brought. |
Lee Correction, South Carolina.
|
Jerome Laudmen, left to slowly die of hypothermia in a bare concrete room.
Inmate Name: Jerome Laudman. Inmate Age: 44 Inmate Disability: Retardation and Schizophrenia. Crime: Strong Armed Robbery. Sentence: Two Years. Isolation Infraction: "Trashing his cell." Location: Lee Correction, South Carolina. Date of Incident: 02-08-2008 Abuse: Left naked in unheated cell with a concrete bed and no bedding of any kind for 11 days. Aftermath: Death from Hypothermia. Legal Actions: $1.2 million awarded to family. No staff directly held accountable. |
|
Victor Rogers, dozens of staff watched for over a week as he became violently ill, refusing to provide him with medical care.
"Victor could only respond in moans," Recalled an employee. Inmate Name: Victor Rogers Inmate Age: 27 Inmate Disability: Schizophrenia. Crime: Stealing a snack and cigarettes from a store. Sentence: 7 years. Isolation Infraction: Unmedicated mental illness. Location: Lee Correctional, South Carolina. Date of Incident: 03-17-16 Abuse: Two years of isolation. During the last week he was reportedly seen lying in a fetal position, moaning in pain, too weak to move, and covered in vomit. He received no medical care. Aftermath: He died in his cell of septic shock due to a kidney infection. Legal Actions: Family recently filed a lawsuit. |
Dade Correctional, Florida
|
Darren Rainey, the man who was cooked alive.
“The water was turned on. We started hearing him yell through the whole wing,” recalled Hempstead [inmate at Dade Correctional]. “At first, ‘It’s hot, get me outta here,’ then probably 10 to 20 minutes later he was yelling ‘Sorry, can’t take it anymore. I won’t do it again!'” Name: Darren Rainey. Age: 50 Inmate Disability: Bipolar and Schizophrenia. Crime: Cocaine Possession. Sentence: 2 Years Isolation Infraction: N/A (Psych) Location: Dade Correctional, Florida Date of Incident: 06-23-2012 Abuse: After defecating in his isolation cell, co's locked him into a shower rigged to be scalding hot. After two hours they removed him. Aftermath: He died in the shower, burns covered 90% if his body and his skin was melting off. (6) Legal Actions: Evidence was destroyed by officials, resulting in no criminal or civil recourse. (6) |
Hampton Roads, Virginia
|
Jamycheal Mitchell, slowly starved to death.
Roxanne Adams, his aunt, said, “He was unrecognizable — that’s how bad it was. He was unrecognizable. There’s something that has to be done. [He was] probably about 90 pounds and looked 70 years old.” Inmate Name: Jamycheal Mitchell Inmate Age: 24 Inmate Disability: Bipolar and Schizophrenia. Crime: Stealing $5.05 worth of snacks. Sentence: Found unfit to stand trial. Ordered to be moved to a state mental institute, never was. Isolation Infraction: Unmedicated mental illness. Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia Date of Incident: 08-19-2015 Abuse: During four months of isolation he lost 40 pounds. Other inmates testify that officers often refused him meals. Aftermath: He died in his cell of starvation. The medical examiner reported that the starvation was so advanced it would have been irreversible had he recieved medical care before death. Legal Actions: Video from his detention was deleted and medical reports have been altered. The family has filed a lawsuit but it will most likely be unnsuccesful. |
Santa Clara, CA
|
Michael Tyree, severely beaten by officers in his cell after refusing to take medication.
"I don't know what kind of training they need to not beat somebody [to death]," His sister said. "I mean, what kind of training do you need?" Inmate Name: Michael Tyree Inmate Age: 23 Inmate Disability: Bipolar Crime: Minor Drug Probation Violation Sentence: Ordered to be moved to a rehab as soon as a bed was available. Isolation Infraction: Unmedicated mental illness. Location: Santa Clara, CA Date of Incident: 08-27-2015 Abuse: Three guards beat him in his isolation cell. Aftermath: Lacerated spleen and liver. He died from massive internal bleeding. Legal Actions: The three guards responsible have been indicted for murder. |
Jackson State, Michigan
|
Timothy Souders, restrained for days during a heat wave without water.
"I'm tired of this. Eighteen hours is not justified." Souders could be heard saying on the videotape. Inmate Name: Timothy Souders Inmate Age: 21 Inmate Disability: Bipolar Crime: Shoplifting and Resisting Arrest (he attempted suicide by cop). Sentence: 3-5 years. Isolation Infraction: Breaking a stool and flooding his cell. Location: Jackson State, Michigan. Date of Incident: 08-06-2006 Abuse: Chained to a concrete slab for 18 hours a day four days in a row without access to water, during a heatwave. The cell's temperature was in the 100's. Aftermath: Died of dehydration. Legal Actions: $3.25m awarded to family. No criminal action. |
Island County, Washington.
|
Keaton Farris, locked in a cell without water for days.
"Officers offered him some water and he asked for 99 more cups. They told him to drink the water he already had." Inmate Name: Keaton Farris. Inmate Age: 25 Inmate Disability: Bipolar. Crime: Forging a Check. Sentence: Pretrial. Isolation Infraction: Flooding his cell. Location: Island County, Washington. Date of Incident: 04-07-2015 Abuse: 18 days of isolation with no treatment for severe psychosis. Confined to cells without water for four days, until he died of dehydration. He had lost 20 pounds. Aftermath: Died of dehydration. Legal Actions: Pending. |
Unfortunately, many more others will be added. We are contacting families for more information about each victim including pictures that actually make them appear as real, happy, living human beings. Unlike the mug shots that are usually unavailable. Worse case scenario, I will draw pictures of each victim.
