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* A commenter recommended this piece from the New York Times…
Markus Johnson slumped naked against the wall of his cell, skin flecked with pepper spray, his face a mask of puzzlement, exhaustion and resignation. Four men in black tactical gear pinned him, his face to the concrete, to cuff his hands behind his back.
He did not resist. He couldn’t. He was so gravely dehydrated he would be dead by their next shift change. […]
It was 1:19 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2019, in the Danville Correctional Center, a medium-security prison a few hours south of Chicago. Mr. Johnson, 21 and serving a short sentence for gun possession, was in the throes of a mental collapse that had gone largely untreated, but hardly unwatched. […]
The country’s jails and prisons have become its largest provider of inpatient mental health treatment, with 10 times as many seriously mentally ill people now held behind bars as in hospitals. Estimating the population of incarcerated people with major psychological problems is difficult, but the number is likely 200,000 to 300,000, experts say. […]
Mr. Johnson’s mother has filed a wrongful-death suit against the state and Wexford Health Sources, a for-profit health care contractor in Illinois prisons. The New York Times reviewed more than 1,500 pages of reports, along with depositions taken from those involved. Together, they reveal a cascade of missteps, missed opportunities, potential breaches of protocol and, at times, lapses in common sense.
Prison officials and Wexford staff took few steps to intervene even after it became clear that Mr. Johnson, who had been hospitalized repeatedly for similar episodes and recovered, had refused to take medication. Most notably, they did not transfer him to a state prison facility that provides more intensive mental health treatment than is available at regular prisons, records show.
The quality of medical care was also questionable, said Mr. Johnson’s lawyers, Sarah Grady and Howard Kaplan, a married legal team in Chicago. Mr. Johnson lost 50 to 60 pounds during three weeks in solitary confinement, but officials did not initiate interventions like intravenous feedings or transfer him to a non-prison hospital.
And they did not take the most basic step — dialing 911 — until it was too late. […]
The paradox is that prison is often the only place where sick people have access to even minimal care.
But the harsh work environment, remote location of many prisons, and low pay have led to severe shortages of corrections staff and the unwillingness of doctors, nurses and counselors to work with the incarcerated mentally ill.
In the early 2000s, prisoners’ rights lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit against Illinois claiming “deliberate indifference” to the plight of about 5,000 mentally ill prisoners locked in segregated units and denied treatment and medication.
posted by Isabel Miller
Monday, May 6, 24 @ 11:42 am
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Disgusting. Legislators should be reminded that every time they push for sentencing enhancements, what they are supporting is even more of THIS.
Comment by charles in charge Monday, May 6, 24 @ 11:51 am
==Wexford Health Sources, a for-profit health care contractor in Illinois prisons.== says it all in 12 words.
Comment by Tobor Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:12 pm
And earlier this year, on Wexford’s contract renewal by IDOC- https://news.wttw.com/2024/01/25/despite-lack-progress-toward-consent-decree-idoc-awards-new-4b-contract-same-private
Comment by Anon221 Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:20 pm
John Oliver had a piece on health care in prisons a few months ago. NSFW warning because of language.
http://tiny.cc/hf6zxz
Comment by Nick Name Monday, May 6, 24 @ 12:40 pm
The executive’s face is always well hidden…still.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, May 6, 24 @ 1:31 pm
The executioners face…isn’t it interesting that auto-correct thinks executioners and executives are similar?
Comment by Dotnonymous x Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:08 pm
The John Oliver piece is something to see.
Not sure why this Wexford firm’s contract was renewed for a substantial increase in compensation, but giving them a 5 year contract ties the hands of the next Governor in making a change.
Comment by Back to the Future Monday, May 6, 24 @ 2:12 pm
And people still wonder why abolitionists assert that this system is unreformable.
A quarter-century has passed and we haven’t even reformed our way to calling 9-1-1 for a dying man.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Monday, May 6, 24 @ 5:32 pm