I am so not feeling it today. I began writing an article about family support because it is such an important way to stay psychologically sound but for some reason I just couldn’t capture my thoughts. So I feel I need to offer my apologies in advance but I am determined to write as I have done every Saturday morning for many months.

I guess the question is, how does this place have such a catastrophic effect on someone’s mental health? Also, is it right that this happens or should steps be taken to improve matters?

Firstly, the how. It seems to be a result of a number of factors but it all boils down to one thing – a total absence of care. When we’re ill, they don’t care, when they should collect us for education session, their lack of care means we get forgotten about so we miss out on education, about which they don’t care, and when we’re so distressed that we harm ourselves, they don’t care. I think care is like oxygen – it’s a basic human need and we are suffocating in here because of a lack of care.

Of course, I could give many more examples but allow me to question if this should be part and parcel of a prison sentence – is damage to a person’s mental health a desired and planned outcome? Would the average voter feel it is appropriate to inflict harm at a deep emotional level? Do politicians want us to be psychologically hurt?

Of course, I can’t know for sure but I can’t believe anyone would actually want that. Even the most rampant right-wingers of the popular press wouldn’t write it. So how has it got to this point?

This exact thing was one of the reasons I worked to begin this blog – to shine a light on what actually happens behind these walls because I fear the bottom line behind all of the questions I have posed about care is that they reflect the thoughts of the general public. They don’t care what happens behind these walls because they don’t believe they will ever feel the effects. My strong argument, though, is that you do not need to have committed a crime to be convicted of one. What has happened to me could happen to anyone and even if you aren’t directly affected by a wrongful conviction, our communities are full of people who have been in prison. Think how much they are damaged at the hand of the State.

I’m off now to try and snap myself out of this low.

NaN.