I suggest that there are still too many amongst us who treat the mentally ill as if it were all “in their head;” just get over it, pull yourself together. That is the stigma that needs to be addressed. If someone incarcerated was showing signs and symptoms of a diabetic coma, that person would receive care. People can develop a mental illness while incarcerated. Increased stresses, increased fear and anxiety ,and isolation can trigger a crisis just like too much sugar can trigger a diabetic crisis in someone not previously diagnosed.
We rarely hear success stories about those with mental illness but we always hear the stories of chaos and mayhem. So we begin to assume that anyone with a mental illness is a potential threat. How else to explain the draconian methods used on Ashley Smith?
People with mental illness(especially depression and anxiety) do not belong in a prison. They belong in a facility that will help them to get control over their illness and live good, productive lives. They need caring professionals who do not demean their illness; who do not treat them as if they were the next Norman Bates from Psycho, or a “patient” in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
And most importantly, we need to ask ourselves how have we become as a society, so mean-spirited? How do we explain the lack of compassion shown by so many involved in Ashley Smith’s death? And how do those who want to prevent the truth from being told explain their position? We cannot make changes to the mental health system or the penal system if we fear looking at the facts, straight on, so that we can admit our failures and then make changes.
