Ladies and Gentlemen I thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with Virginia’s DOC and consequences of confinement. Our prisons are so short staffed that keeping inmates locked down is a normal practice. I have witnessed my happy go lucky loved one change in front of my face. He gets emotional easily, lost lots of weight, talks with a sadness in his voice, and his mental sharpness is deteriorating quickly. Sacrificing a human’s basic ability to be involved with others is immoral and inhumane. We as a society have labeled incarcerated individuals as worthless pieces of garbage that doesn’t even deserve a nutritional meal let alone any kind of normal life. When I say “normal life” I’m referring to a hot/warm shower, clean clothes without stains or tears, food that is fit to eat, natural sunlight, and temperature controlled environment. We have learned that going without natural light can cause serious depression and lead to other health issues. Imagine being locked down for days at a time where the only face you see is the one looking back at you through a flimsy plastic mirror. Close your eyes for a moment I want each of you to feel the darkness, loneliness, and suffering that solitary confinement creates. Now picture what it must feel like when it’s days, weeks, and months before you can feel human again. Ask yourself how would your loved ones feel if they didn’t hear your voice, get mail, or visits from you for an extended period of time. Better yet how would you feel if you weren’t able to communicate with them for long periods of time? Maybe some of you would like a little mini break from all the noise, but when that break doesn’t end and you’re left alone everything inside of you starts changing. Our society treats animals 100% better than incarcerated people. If a person is found guilty of animal cruelty or abuse they’re punished as well as they should be punished. Yet our prisons and society thinks it’s okay to treat human beings like garbage. See when we bag up our garbage we throw it out and never give it a second thought. This is exactly what we’re doing when we allow people to be confined and it needs to stop. Every life matters- especially those with emotional and mental health needs. Locking down people is creating more harm than good. This practice of punishment should be abolished and deemed a crime against humanity.
Ladies and Gentlemen I thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with Virginia’s DOC and consequences of confinement. Our prisons are so short staffed that keeping inmates locked down is a normal practice. I have witnessed my happy go lucky loved one change in front of my face. He gets emotional easily, lost lots of weight, talks with a sadness in his voice, and his mental sharpness is deteriorating quickly. Sacrificing a human’s basic ability to be involved with others is immoral and inhumane. We as a society have labeled incarcerated individuals as worthless pieces of garbage that doesn’t even deserve a nutritional meal let alone any kind of normal life. When I say “normal life” I’m referring to a hot/warm shower, clean clothes without stains or tears, food that is fit to eat, natural sunlight, and temperature controlled environment. We have learned that going without natural light can cause serious depression and lead to other health issues. Imagine being locked down for days at a time where the only face you see is the one looking back at you through a flimsy plastic mirror. Close your eyes for a moment I want each of you to feel the darkness, loneliness, and suffering that solitary confinement creates. Now picture what it must feel like when it’s days, weeks, and months before you can feel human again. Ask yourself how would your loved ones feel if they didn’t hear your voice, get mail, or visits from you for an extended period of time. Better yet how would you feel if you weren’t able to communicate with them for long periods of time? Maybe some of you would like a little mini break from all the noise, but when that break doesn’t end and you’re left alone everything inside of you starts changing. Our society treats animals 100% better than incarcerated people. If a person is found guilty of animal cruelty or abuse they’re punished as well as they should be punished. Yet our prisons and society thinks it’s okay to treat human beings like garbage. See when we bag up our garbage we throw it out and never give it a second thought. This is exactly what we’re doing when we allow people to be confined and it needs to stop. Every life matters- especially those with emotional and mental health needs. Locking down people is creating more harm than good. This practice of punishment should be abolished and deemed a crime against humanity.