every day at the highest security 5A longterm level in oop
(oh. st. penitentiary) oh’s supermax prison in ygn, oh. where every prisoner is
in a single cell 7’ by 14’ the size of a car parking space with concrete floor,
ceiling and walls, a concrete platform covered by a thin mat, a sink/toilet with
a wall mounted desk and stool. A 300 pound steel sliding door with a 2” by 8 “
bullet proof non-opening glass, a cuffport that serves also as a delivery and
return way for 3 daily food trays eaten within these cells, prisoners spend 24
hours a day within this cell unless one signs up for 1 hour of recreation cage
and or shower 5 days per week. prisoncrats call prisoners at osp the worst of
the worst, prisoners that dealt drugs, involved in gang activity, or killed on
the outside and inside prisons. over 2 million prisoners are in us prisons over
20,000 are in their 31 supermaxes in state and federal systems this 1% can be a
volatile 1%, any punishment pushed too far and a claim of mental breakdown is
sure to come. suicide rates in tx and ca solitary confinement prisons are on
the rise, psychiatrist stuart grassian a consultant in criminal cases syas ‘we
have to ask ourselves why we’re doing this,’ ‘we’re talking criminals who are
already unstable and driving them crazy.’ solitary confinement in the us began
with the philadelphia quakers of the 19th century as a hope of providing them
contemplation with a bible to develop insight into their crimes, it never
worked. in 1890 the us supreme court ruled, deploring solitary confinement for
the ‘semi-fatuous condition’ in which it left prisoners, the court’s distaste
of solitary was clear. justices saw it as a form of ‘no touch torture’ says
alfred mccay in his book ‘a question of turture’- ‘it sends prisoners in one of
two directions: catatonic or rage.’ modern science confirms this with
electroncephalograms showing that after a few days in solitary prisoners brain
waves shift toward a pattern characteristic of stupor and delirium. some
prisoners at osp are given anticipated stays on level 5 and 4 but not those closed
5ALT who’s stay is determined permanent/indefinite, no matter one’s excellent
or good conduct and voluntary programming a 5 ALT prisoner isn’t allowed to
lower their security for release, obviously this is an attack on the 8th
amendment’s cruel and unusual punishment and 14th amendment’s due process and liberty interest.’ the
argument oh prisoners made in 05 challenging assignment to strict supermax
security level, a unanimous supreme court with justice anthony kennedy writing
that supermax isolation imposes an ‘atypical and significant hardship, that
prisoners must have a formal opportunity to make their case against the
assignment before prison officials decide, this ruling has not affected 5ALT
prisoners, theire are no written rules/guidelines for level 5 reduction across
the board for all level 5 (including 5ALTers) at osp, extreme ‘no-touch
torture’ is having been in solitary confinement more than 14 years (at present
12 years 2010), over 9 years (at present 12 years 2010) in oh’s supermax prison
in ygn without any chance of release on 5ALT, me wonders will the direction be
catatonic, rage, or controlled rage will be maintained?
Mosi Paki 4/2/2007 ,
rewritten 2010 (transcribed 2012)
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