I am writing in response to the article about J’Allen Jones death at the hands of Garner Correctional staff. My son also has schizophrenia and spent time at Garner. While my son got out alive, I am saddened that the people charged with caring for these men could be so uncaring. In the 10 years between his symptoms starting and finding a medicine that helped, my son got arrested over 10 times.
And as a Type I diabetic carrying syringes, police assumed he was a heroin addict and left him without his meds.
It is estimated that about a third of prisoners have mental illness and that doesn’t even begin to address experienced trauma. If people are imprisoned for bad behavior, it would make sense for institutions to model appropriate behavior rather than repeat the very behaviors that contributed to their downward spiral, violence, disregard and fear.
When my son went to Garner, he was originally arrested in Manchester. The police took his phone, wallet, bike, backpack and meds. He never got his belongings back. Two days before Thanksgiving 2015, his Dad and I waited all day at Hartford Correctional for his release.
At 11:55 p.m., he was let out a back door with nothing but someone else’s ill fitting clothes. We were told that he would be released with a prescription for insulin but that didn’t happen. Luckily, my son has a support system that got us through this.
But I think of men let out with no one there and no ID, money or phone in the North End of Hartford in the middle of the night. How quickly do you think that man gets re-arrested?
My heart goes out to J’Allen’s mother. A schizophrenic diagnosis is so awful. Dying because of it is unconscionable.
Sandra, East Hartford
Editor’s note: Only a first name is being used to protect the privacy of the writer’s son.
