05/02/17
A jury has now decided that criminal charges may be justified against seven officers in a case involving the Terrill Thomas, an inmate who died of dehydration in a jail.
Thomas’s family was relieved to hear the news about the possibility of justice.
Thomas was a mentally ill inmate and his treatment inside of the jail was horrifying.
He was placed in solitary confinement for seven days, and he was never allowed the traditional hour of time to be outside, according to reports.
Moreover, reports suggest that his access to water was turned off, which eventually resulted in a slow, agonizing death from dehydration.
John Chisholm, Milwaukee DA, will be responsible for deciding whether or not the jury’s findings will manifest as official charges.
Seven officers were identified as potentially facing the charges, presumably for varying degrees of complicity in the death.
“I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy…it’ll take you away. I feel like I passed away, losing my father. I don’t have him anymore. I’m not going to be who I used to be,” said Thomas’s son.
It is yet another illustration that mental illnesses would be better treated with rehabilitation rather than harsh jail conditions.
That Thomas was placed inside of solitary confinement, while already being mentally unstable, is especially egregious given that solitary confinement is intended to be psychologically distressing.
One can only imagine the anguish Thomas experienced being mentally ill, in solitary confinement, and without water.
Many advocates for prison reform argue that solitary confinement ought to be ended altogether, stating that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, if not outright torture.
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