Another prisoners' rights issue are the side effects from psychiatric drugs. Especially akathisia. Akathisia is an intense feeling of discomfort or inner terror. It doesn't do any permanent damage. But it is very common with the older class of antipsychotics. It also occurs with the newer class drug Abilify (aripiprazole). I've never been to a jail or prison. But from what I understand, often prison staff and even medical personnel there are very unsympathetic about it. They know it's a common side effect, especially if the prisoner can't afford better medical care. So they tell them they must endure it. Maybe they even deny it exists. (Like my doctor did with me in 1984. Haldol turned me into a virtual invalid for over a month. And I don't even need it. I have Schizotypal Personality Disorder and Cerebral Palsy. I never should have even taken that stuff. But my doctors just told me I must have chronic fatigue syndrome.) The worst thing anyone can do to you when you're in pain is to be unsympathetic. Or even worse, deny the problem exists. There are many ways of dealing with akathisia. Cogentin was used when I took it (though it never helped me). Or simply taking the Haldol, etc. at bedtime might help. Because you can simply sleep off the akathisia sometimes. And take all the dose at bedtime, so you get all the side effects while you sleep. Or switch to another medicine. Mellaril (Thioridazine) is an old class drug like Haldol. But it has little or no akathisia associated with it.
And also, and this debate has been going on throughout human history, people should never be subjected to punishment that is cruel or degrading. From the English Bill of Rights of 1689, to the US Bill of Rights of 1789, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. And, the French pointed out in 1789 in their The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen "The Law must prescribe only the punishments that are strictly and evidently necessary". Meaning it should always be as lenient, and as compassionate, to the offender as possible. And futhermore, certain groups deserve special protection in the justice system, and other places. Like the handicapped, the mentally ill, certain minority groups and groups that are just more likely to be abused in places like that. People who receive medical care should never be abused, because medical staff should always be there only to help. Even in a place like prison. And people should always be allowed as much freedom as their condition or situation allows. And never should one group be singled out for unequal treatment, either worse treatment, or even better. Because as Martin Luther King, Jr. pointed out, as injustice for one is an injustice for all.
I have been protesting psychiatry's violations of basic human rights for a long time. Most people who have experienced both jail and the 'hospital' psychiatric jail say regular jail is better because you have many more rights. Inpatient psychiatry is just as much of an atrocity it was 100 years ago, forced drugging and ECT its rape, violation of bodily autonomy, not the sexual part obviously instead mind disabling and body damaging drugs you don't even own your insides your own bloodstream according to those people. The psychiatric propaganda will say people are sick and don't know they need to be drugged "anosognosia"; it refers to a lack of awareness or insight into one's own mental illness... All complaints akathisia and everything else pharma front groups like National Alliance Mental Illness just push this anosogosia thing as the reason for drug refusal. NAMI pharma front group - Google Search There is really no one who sticks up for the rights of people labelled mentally ill, big pharma and friends run all the so called advocacy groups.
