Federal trial on mental illness and isolation

Troy Anderson is a inmate at Colorado State Prison, and in more than two decades of imprisonment has spent most of his time in administrative segregation (AdSeg) or isolation. Anderson also is mentally ill:

Anderson has been in and out of jail since he was a juvenile on account of his erratic and sometimes violent behavior. In 2000, he was sentenced to 75 years for myriad charges stemming from two incidents in which he shot at police, the second time in an attempt to escape custody. Offenses committed in prison have landed him in “ad seg” at CSP. (His last disciplinary infraction was in 2005, when he was written up for somehow managing to get envelopes to another prisoner.) 

But there’s more to the story. Anderson, like hundreds of other prisoners confined in isolation in Colorado—and thousands held in solitary across the nation—is seriously mentally ill. His diagnoses include bipolar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, cognitive disorders, and a seizure disorder. He has attempted suicide many times, starting at age 10. He is seen periodically by prison psychiatrists, all of whom seem to concur that he needs therapy and medication. At CSP, however, his treatment has consisted of a fiasco of intermittent and inappropriate meds and scant therapy, typically conducted through a slot in his solid steel cell door. 

Yet unlike most of those other prisoners languishing in solitary, Anderson is about to get his day in federal court. Beginning today, in a trial that could have broad implications for how states handle inmates with mental illness, Anderson’s lawyers will argue before the District Court in Denver that their client’s predicament violates his civil rights, under both the Constitution and federal law.

More at Mother Jones.

Passion required in jail ministry

From a profile of chaplaincy in Ventury County jail facilities, with chaplains John Gatlin and Bob Stockman:

Ministering to inmates is not for the faint of heart, said Marie Rhodes Smith, a county employee with inmate services. 

"In order to work in the jail setting, you have to have passion,” Smith said. “A lot of people don’t like to see the inmates confined. It bothers them. Chaplain John is very passionate about what he does and how he is able to make a difference in all the (inmates’) lives so they don’t come back again." 

Gatlin and Stockman also comfort inmates when a relative is terminally ill or dies. The two chaplains verify the inmates’ personal information so the public defender’s office can approve a temporary leave to visit a dying loved one or attend a funeral. 

Gatlin said he receives “nothing but respect and admiration” from the inmates. He said the most important aspect of his ministry is to just listen to the men and women he serves. 

Stockman said Gatlin has an innate ability to connect with the inmates, despite the often emotionally charged environment a jail can create. "You can go to school and become educated and stand before a church and preach and not be real—John is real,” Stockman said. “You have to be personable with the individual, you have to be open and honest and be able to minister with no bias. He has an ability to minister and not be a salesman, but a real Christian."

more at Simi Valley Acorn.

Governor Brown makes new effort to restart executions

California Governor Jerry Brown has ordered the consideration of a single drug protocol, in hopes of clearing the path for the resumption of executions. California had proposed a different protocol for lethal injection:

The new procedures called for prisoners to be put to death through the use of sodium thiopental, which may no longer be available in the United States, and two other drugs. 

A federal judge in March barred the use of sodium thiopental purchased outside the country. There is no domestic maker of the product, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been ordered to turn over its foreign-bought drug to the Food and Drug Administration. 

The FDA is considering whether to appeal the judge’s order. 

Lawyers for the state Department of Justice said Thursday they would reconsider the appeal if it becomes certain that sodium thiopental can no longer be used in California executions.

More at: the Washington Post

Career criminal bill fails in committee

An attempt to change California's prison realignment effort has been killed in committee. SB 1435, intorduced by State Senator Sharon Runner, would have sent criminals with a longer felony record to state prison. Under the realignment program that started last fall, those sentenced to three years or less that did not have a history of violent or sexual crime would be incarcerated locally.

Since AB 109 took effect Oct. 1, San Bernardino County has convicted 1,660 felons who would have gone to state prison prior to realignment but were instead sentenced to county jail, according to Christopher Lee, spokesman for the District Attorney’s office. 

SB 1435 would have required that defendants who were convicted of a felony and had three or more prior felony convictions be sent to state prison.

The bill failed 4-3 in the Senate public safety committee. More information is available at the Victorville Daily Press.

Privatization not working in Lousisana

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal proposed raising $35 million by selling Avoyelles Correctional Facility to a private corrections firm. The Louisiana House of Representatives blocked that recently, but efforts to hire a private contractor to manage the facility continues. Budget analyst Steve Spires of the Louisiana Budget Project points out that Louisiana incarcerates a more of its residents per capita that any other state or country, and spends less per inmate than any other state. According to Spires, the record shows that privatizing prisons in Louisiana has not worked out well:

The privately run prisons in Winn and Allen parishes have more than twice as much prisoner sexual misconduct as Avoyelles. Over the last four years, both private prisons have reported far more assaults that resulted in serious injury to inmates or staff - six at Allen, 14 at Winn and only one at Avoyelles. And while escapes are rare, they are significant. In 2009, Allen had three and Winn had one. Avoyelles hasn't had one in nearly a decade. 

Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc has described Avoyelles, Allen and Winn as “identical facilities” that provide a "perfectly good laboratory for comparing private prisons" to public ones. By this measure, it appears the publicly run Avoyelles is safer than Allen or Winn. Savings shouldn't come at the expense of prison security or the safety of staff, inmates and the surrounding community.

More at Lafourche Parish Daily Comet and the Lousisana Budget Project.

05/4-5/2011 Helen Prejean in Bakersfield

Sister Helen Prejean, who has won countless honors for her work to eliminate the death penalty, will speak at St. Philip the Apostle Church on Friday, May 4 and First Congregational Church on Saturday, May 5. Both events will be open to the public. More from the Bakersfield Californian.

Uganda, the challenge of forgiveness

From America magazine:

Here is another video about conflict in the region, this one showing how religious leaders and laypeople in Uganda have sought to build peace through forgiveness and reconciliation.

The video post.