Last Monday, the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against Pennsylvania for abuse of prisoners diagnosed as “seriously mentally ill.” DRNP claims that over 800 prisoners deemed seriously mentally ill are dumped, for long periods of time, into Restricted Housing Units, basically solitary confinement, where they are kept for 23 hours a day, during the week, and 24 hours a day, during weekends and holidays. No contact with others, no work or education or religious services or rehabilitative programs, and of course little to no mental health care. But the lights are left on in the cells 24 a days. So …
It’s a vicious, even criminal, cycle. People deemed seriously mentally ill end up in solitary, which then results in parole denial, which sends them back to the hole. If it weren’t so dreadful, it would be considered elegant.
The suit profiles twelve prisoners, 11 men and one woman. The woman prisoner is in SCI-Muncy. Pennsylvania has two women’s prisons, Muncy and Cambridge Springs. Muncy is both maximum security and the intake prison for all women prisoners in Pennsylvania. Muncy also houses Pennsylvania’s death row for women. Every woman prisoner in Pennsylvania first comes to Muncy, where her `security level’ is assigned, based on an assessment of criminal record, medical, mental health, and substance abuse. Lower security prisoners are sent to Cambridge Springs; the rest stay at Muncy. Guess where those with serious mental health issues go?
Muncy has a death row, but it doesn’t have a Secure Special Needs Unit, or SSNU. The profile of the one woman prisoner suggests why that matters.
Prisoner #6 is a 39-year-old female prisoner in SCI-Muncy. She has a long history of serious mental illness, including at least one suicide attempt and multiple admissions to state psychiatric hospitals, prior to her incarceration. Prisoner #6 has a “D” stability rating and has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, low normal intelligence (86 I.Q.), and a personality disorder. Prisoner #6 has been charged with disciplinary infractions and sentenced to disciplinary sanction in solitary confinement in the RHU based on behaviors directly attributable to her serious mental illness, such as throwing liquids, covering her cell window with paper, sticking her arms through her cell door food slot, harming herself and demanding to be placed in restraints, and flooding her cell.
“Between May 6, 2001, and January 14, 2012, Prisoner #6 received 115 misconduct reports, mostly occurring in the RHU. Her mental condition has deteriorated in the RHU. Although SCI-Muncy has no SSNU, according to the DOC website, prison records state she has been assigned to the SCI-Muncy “SSNU.” However, she has been returned to the RHU as a “time out” from this “virtual” SSNU for weeks or months at a time.
“Prisoner #6 received a negative psychological evaluation for parole purposes in July 2010 because of the behavior described in her numerous misconduct reports, most if not all of which arose from conduct directly attributable to her mental illness. An independent psychiatrist has recommended that Prisoner #6 receive psychosocial rehabilitative treatment, which cannot be provided in an RHU.”
The story of Prisoner #6 is in many respects like that of her eleven male counterparts, except for the phantom SSNU. Somehow, Prisoner #6 was sent to a “special needs unit” that doesn’t exist. After that, she was returned to solitary. If it weren’t so dreadful, it would be ironic.
Women prisoners, even those at maximum-security Muncy, report lower rates of recidivism than male prisoners, but “they are also all women.” Women prisoners also report much higher rates of mental health illness, much higher rates of abuse, much higher rates of needing help. Higher than whom? Higher than everyone. Higher than men prisoners. Higher than women in `the free world.’ And how does the State respond? It dumps their bodies, for months and years on end, in ferociously well-lit pits where their conditions can only worsen. That is the short and terrible life of Prisoner #6, designed, directed and produced by the State of Pennsylvania. Living with serious mental illness? Welcome to hell.
(Photo credit: SayNoToStigma.com/Menninger Clinic)
About Dan Moshenberg
You don’t like the way you are treated in prison don’t go there and with all of these ridiculousness lawsuits it should be like the military were you are not aloud to file any lawsuits. Criminals need to take responsibility for there actions and stop blaming the DOC. I just wish we started using the death penalty more instead of the tax payers money.
I done 3 stints in Muncy and it ain’t no playground. I saw matrons going with inmates and using them, to get money and valuables. I saw women getting beat up by guards and brought back from ICU and not being able to walk or talk. This type of stuff deterred me from ever going back as an inmate. I went back twice to conduct a poetry workshop, sent by my Boss at the Labor and Industry Building and the superintendent of Muncy in 1992. It was very hard and racist when I was there in the 70’s and 80’s
Being real…. It is what you make it out to be… I thankfully only had to do 4 months in sci muncy for classification for a program. Yes I was locked down 23hrs a day, and the showers were foul and they were some staff that were cruel but in the long haul of things I suppose I used my time wisely and did a ton of self reflecting…. I committed a crime, I had a drug addiction and I needed that time more than anything to get myself right… Overall I did what was asked of me during my stay there… As someone said in a previous comment prison isnt a vacation…. I did not enjoy watching inmates be over medicated and fall out and nothing being done about it, or staff having sexual in counters with inmates or for those with mental illnesses to be mistreated etc… But honestly criminals including myself did great harm to many regardless if they choose to own up to it or neglect it and play that victim role…. In some way shape or form we’ve caused damage….. Should we be catered too? F*** No…. Being honest if the system was a cake walk for me I would be more opt to keeping doing dumb things to put myself back because “it wasn’t so bad” I’m thankful that I felt like an animal trapped in the pound….. It was a rude awaking for me and a place that allowed me to take a deep personal inventory of myself and get real with myself. I’m probably a lot different than most but the way I choose to view things and the outlook I had for my situation at the given point in time enabled me to continue on a path of success and not back step into my old ways and behaviors…. Sure the system may be there to keep you stuck? As some may say….. So why not be that tough b**** you claim to be and beat the odds instead of giving someone the satisfaction of categorizing you as a loss cause. I can’t always control my circumstances, what’s done is done…. What I can do though is control how I react to them… I am currently coming up on 3 years clean aand sober and crime free 🙂 today I am being the mother I always should have been for mu children, I am employed as an authority figure to females who are heading for or have been through a similar situation as I had been through and giving back to my community…. I throw out a special thanks to the dept of corrections for the program that was a gateway to saving my life and also for placing me in a prison that I never want to set eyes on again…. Talk about facing fears. I conquered plenty of mine through being at SCI Muncy. I’m not saying it should be justified that imates are being mistreated, abused, or neglected in some cases . At times people need a little taste of their own medicine depending on the situation.. In which each one varies. Crime is chosen through the lifestyle you lead and live…. Asking for a straight shoot behind bars if the tape would ever get played the whole way through…. I didn’t feel sorry for myself when I was behind those walls, I felt sorry for those I made suffer for years, those who had to alter their lives to care for my children because of the things I did.. Therefore unless there is a complete innocent individual sitting behind bars I don’t feel sorry…. Its not unfortunate… Cancer is unfortunate, being sent to prison for punishment for a crime that you committed is not unfortunate.
This was me at Muncy and the at Cambridge. In and out of the RHU because they couldnt get my meds right. Suicide attempts, self injury, mental healthy category “d”. Denied parole because of my misconducts. Put in the RHU for mental health related behavior left their indefintely the hearing examiner always gave absurd amounts of time
ive seen officer beat and rape women and get away with it and women just packed up and sent to another prison and they get in trouble. muncy is a very corrupt place
Back in 2007 I went to prison an it was no cake walk I ended up doing 6 1/2 years…I know that I seen things that was not right but it had changed my life I’m a better person inside and outside an I take my life for granted
Never will forget the first day I came I meet a girl name Terri legdit she was my cellie for a while. Had mental issues felt bad because I new something was really wrong. I was pregnant and they put me in a cell with this person that I grew to love and understand why she acted the way she did. She tried to kill herself many times. 18 months later she hung herself. The prison knew something was wrong, I knew something was wrong but muncy didn’t give a care about her mentally illness if she was willing to kill herself she could’ve been capable of kill someone else. This happened back in 2008 I came home 2009 and it still sit with me until this day. If she just had the help that she needed or been on a unit that would’ve helped I think she would still be living. Rip terri
[…] March 10, 2015 I toured SCI Muncy along with seven members of the PA Prison Society. Of the seven, four of us visit Muncy on a […]
Me myself never been to Prison but in all fairness i think it’s safe to say that the DOC hires a bunch of racists guards to over look the jail .instead of helping out trouble inmates they look forward to making sure some body has a bad day cause they’re having one
I have seen so many women treated so bad there and made fun of by the staff and they pick on them and will drive them to 24 hour lock down.It is too much to see and if you say anything you will be next and no one can stop tham there is too many family members who work. there and they will take turns getting even with you if you are chosen by one of them
My sister,
Is at muncy for about the 5th or 6th time.she is seriously mentally ill but we lack the finances or other means to prevent her being sent for years to a facility that does not help her multiple diagnoses. Each time she is released, she seems worse than before.
i read your article on the internet am interested in this subject. if you get this message please try to contact me if possible
tjp i have a freind that just went in to muncy and i am very concerned for her after reading these stories about muncy it is hard to beleive gods people can treat each other so badly because they have a job in a state prison.
women in muncy cuz I was there are crazy there are really mentally ill people I seen them throwing on the ground them commiting suicide or just waking up to here that ms. peaches died its a really sad world in there . my good friend marueen hollie is still up there and she’s never coming home I wish that she could just come out on day just to taste the real world the air the food just need to give people another chance
Prisons should not be used as a place to warehouse mentally ill people.
The state and these judges who sentence them are wrong. Our law
need to be reviewed and states need to take action. It is also a waste of taxpayer’s money to keep people who have drug additions in prison.
WH, CJ, Loes only knows who you both are, But I was there from 1999-2003 and TBH a lot of what the EX-prisoners Said it true I can not lie about itm I still to this day have borderline nightmares about my time there I was deemed mentally unstable because I cried the first week there, Yay, they thought I was going to kill myself. The only time they react as if someone had a metal or emotional illiness is when they cry, you can beat the hell out of your cellmate and not be seen as disturbed, The whole mental health system in place in SCIMuncy is a farce or they just hired some jane/joe Doe to analize or diaginose women, and the system failed the women there so bad that even if you really had mental issues it was not attended to, thats not to say that some of the prisoners did not use the MHU as an Excuse to get high but in fact a lot did, but te outcome of thet particular situation deemed it more dangerous taking phscotropics when not needed does more harm than good, a little relized fact the Corretional board in PA failed to understand, But we live in a society that says when a person acts out give em drugs and shut em up, a failure on all accounts. When the PA Board of Corrections learned and trains for real mental health and emotional health differantly things MIGHT change for the better.
Why are so many mentally ill persons imprisoned in Pennsylvania? http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/07/post_764.html
Yes I was also at munch n have to agree with all being said d if they monitored the staff like the inmates they’d be in jail for some bad things also I was denied tampons /pads the second day I was there n told by a co to figure it out I’ll never forget that bitchesname or face
There are innocent people who go to jail everyday! Look how much the innocence project helps innocent people! So if some of you wouldn’t mind just keep you’re comments to yourself!
That is crazy. Sad story. However @Teresa people do crimes and they may sue. Have you ever been in jail, probably not you would not be talking so reckless. I am sure you done shit that you just didn’t get caught (yet). As a former inmate of Sci Muncy it’s no play ground and you do get mistreated. I’m still human and I too got rights. So @Teresa until you been there don’t speak on something you know nothing about.
[…] Walter is one of two women who currently sits on Pennsylvania’s death row. Pennsylvania has two women’s prisons, Muncy and Cambridge Springs. Muncy is both maximum security and the intake prison for all women […]
Listening to these stories from women has me so emotional.I’m not saying u shouldn’t have consequence for reactions however both families suffer.No one should b mistreated in prison by a co disciplinary action need to b taken.I no a few ppl up muncy and I pray they are not mistreated and r OK.
We are humans, not animals. This wasn’t meant to be, I think every human needs a second chance and he mentally ill, need their life dealt with differently. If the world were a kinder place there would be no solitary confinement.
Does Muncy have a/c?
Correctional officers do not have the education, expertise, or training to handle mentally ill inmates. They need their own special place where they can receive treatment. The legal system is now beginning to recognize this……now what will be done to correct it…….that’s another matter.
I was there in muncy Its a HELLHOLE.The cos are ass wholes. Very mean people!!!! The male co’s got caught having sex with the inmates. Nothing happened to them at all .
Did anyone know Marie Lusky?
Teresa Temple Telencio: That is one of the most inhumane statements I’ve heard in a while. Though these people are felons and convicts, the key word is “people”. You make them sound like off this planet monsters that should have no rights. i really hope you go to state prison and get to find out first hand how it feels.
[…] Sharon Wiggins was the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania. Sharon Wiggins died behind bars at SCI-Muncy, the maximum security and intake `facility’ for all women prisoners in Pennsylvania, as well as […]
My daughter is presently at Muncy , I pray for her and others every day and night, , “what a thin line we walk”. I pray that others understand, love, and realize we are all human and fall short. A mother’s love is constand and everylasting. Forgiveness is due, it is not easy being locked up,harassed, degraded,raped, and all the other inhuman activities that CO’s fell thay have the right to do. The visits are short, sometimes the rooms are too cold and/or too hot. Let’s not talk about the food.Phone calls and letters are monitored. I could go on and on. I keep in mind” this too shall pass’
Omg, who has been in there and knows what reall. Does Anyone know Carol. Kings number
Kutztown forum: Incarceration puts families in crisis http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/kutztown-forum-incarceration-puts-families-in-crisis
Pennsylvania Prison Society turns 230 http://www.philly.com/philly/business/leadership/Pennsylvania-Prison-Society-turns-230.html
SCI Muncy guard expects to be fired for asking inmate to disrobe, perform in nude http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/05/sci_muncy_guard_expects_to_be.html
WH–are you ignorant or just have no compassionate…what does being in jail and following the rules outside have to do with mentally ill ppl that are incarcerated,,,being treated worser than an alley cat…its ppl like you and your kind who should’nt be in society…and i should hope you never go to jail,,,because you just might hang yourself…
Its safe to say some ppl who are commenting about not going to prison,,,,(we’re talking about the mentally ill) are just ignorant and clueless..
I am seeking information on suicide that happened in S2 Unit (mentalhealth) maybe. Tisha hung herself supposedly at the instruction of another inmate (not uncommon) if you review the records of SCI MUNCY first suicide a transgender MtoF that had I can assure you as I was a responding officer had suspicious undertones even then. I have been asked by the family to look into the matter. As usual no one is talking. So anyone who can help. Please respond here.