June 8, 2024
Report/Commentary
Per a Psychology Today report submitted by Bethany Yeseir on November 3, 2019 report, titled Schizophrenia and Incarceration: People should not be incarcerated for psychotic behavior.
"In the United States, the Los Angeles County Jail, Chicago's Cook County Jail, and Riker's Island Jail in New York each hold more mentally ill inmates than any psychiatric hospital in America. The Treatment Advocacy Center reports that approximately 20 percent of those incarcerated in American jails and 15 percent in American state prisons have severe mental illness."
Anthony Johnson Jr., a serviceman who had mental illness, died within 24 hours while in jail at the Tarrant County Jail located at 100 N. Lamar St. Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Per a Roland Martin Unfiltered Broadcast wherewith, the deceased family and their attorney sought answers concerning Johnson's death for months from the Tarrant County Prison. Johnson's sister Janelle was blatantly disrespected by The Tarrant County Court of Commissioners. Janelle was allowed three minutes to ask the commissioners plus Judge Tim O'Hare why there were no answers or footage concerning how her brother, who died in the county jail. Per court video anyone could clearly see the Tarrant County Court of Commissioners and Judge O'Hare ignored Janelle publicly during her allotted time in the courtroom. The judge and the commissioners refused to acknowledge her presence in front of them as if her concerns didn't matter. At that time, Johnson's sister spoke affirmatively and with conviction about why the commissioners and judge would not look her in the face and chatted among themselves about other issues—showing their non-care plus unprofessional racist attitudes towards both Johnson's death and his sister Janelle's presence in court.
And although Judge O'Hare had Johnson's sister dragged out of court, Janelle's demand for respect and answers echoed throughout the nation, turning the heads of concerned citizens to think. Who in the hell do Taran County Court Commissioners think they are to disrespect a grown, taxpaying Black citizen in their courthouse? While trivializing the death of Janelle's brother, Anthony Johnson Jr., as if his life did not matter.
Initially, in April 2024, per the jailer's report, they shared that they had to pepper spray Johnson to get him under control. But as of Friday, June 7, 2024, the Tarrant County medical examiner has ruled the death of jail inmate Anthony Johnson Jr. a homicide, potentially opening the possibility of criminal charges. "The autopsy findings cite asphyxia from the use of force and pepper spray as the cause of death."
Johnson Jr, age 31, died at the Tarrant County Jail on April 21, after he was arrested during what his family says was a schizophrenic episode. He resisted jailers during a cell check and was pepper-sprayed before being handcuffed and held on the floor improperly with a detention officer's knee on his back, according to a partial video of the altercation released by the Sheriff's Office.
What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality, often experiencing hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking. It is a complex condition that requires proper diagnosis and treatment by mental health professionals, not correctional officers.
Amid mounting pressure to produce information about how Johnson died from the Johnson Family, their attorney Daryl Washington plus the public, the Sheriff's Office, and Texas Rangers released a video of the incident in May of this year. The footage shows what happened until the moment jailers get off Johnson's motionless body. Per Roland Martin'sUnfiltered report, "Since 2017, 60 people have died while in custody at the Taran County Jail."
The issue of placing people who have mental illness relapse is a complex problem in America for several reasons:
There is a lack of accessible and affordable mental health care for those in need. Many individuals struggling with mental illness do not have adequate access to the resources and support necessary to manage their condition, leading to potential relapses effectively.
The societal stigma surrounding mental health can create barriers to seeking help and support, further exacerbating the risk of relapse.
Economic stressors have left or forced veterans with mental illness unable to access long-term, honest, affordable housing. These societal causes and effects often exacerbate citizens with these conditions.
The criminalization of mental illness can result in individuals being placed in correctional facilities instead of receiving appropriate mental health treatment, contributing to a cycle of relapse and incarceration.
These are just a few examples of the myriad of factors that contribute to the challenge of supporting individuals with mental illness in the United States.
To learn more about the inappropriate use of brute force in the prison system instead of re-establishing mental institutions for citizens who struggle with mental illness, please click the link. https://truthout.org/articles/in-us-prisons-psychiatric-disability-is-often-met-by-brute-force/
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