"That’s the entire approach. They are taking people with mental illness, denying them meds, putting them in sensory deprivation chambers, and then punishing them further for not being on their best behavior. All while they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That’s what this boils down to. "

"...this is something that people who haven't gone through the mental health system often don't fully realize or conceptualize. Mental health treatment is not as intuitive as it might seem. I think people believe that asking for and going to get help are the singular battle that one faces. Then you enter the hospital or the treatment center or whatever form of psychiatric care you may need, you receive the help, and you come out better. After all, that's what happens with medicine, isn't it? It's done to you. "

"My journey from trauma to addiction to the criminal justice system? I thought of a few different ways to start it, before I landed here, a few different methods of trying to get people to understand....I think I start with the combustible liquid powering the ill-fated airplane. We follow the alcohol....perhaps by starting from the beginning and telling it all, we can banish some of the demons that thrive in the darkness."

"I’ve found it helpful to deal with this event using sarcasm and humor, but this incident demonstrates a culture problem I’ve witnessed throughout law enforcement. It shows how officers of the law view, treat, and interact with members of minority populations. Things that are problematic and said outright behind the scenes come out in small actions and statements, such as Deputy H classifying me as female. Such occurrences may seem small, but imagine how repeated invalidation could undermine someone in my position. It’s not just this incident; it’s the underlying attitude that is the seed of the problem."

While staying in seg, you can expect to receive no commissary, no visitations, no mail, and no programming offered in the rest of the jail. You will never go outside or even see a window to remind you the world still exists beyond your walls. You do not bathe or shower, you do not speak to anyone, nor are you spoken to. You effectively exist as an object placed in a room designed for total and complete sensory deprivation.