“Men are sent to prison as a punishment, not for punishment.”
—Sir Alexander Henry Paterson
Health and access to adequate health care are fundamental human rights that should be enjoyed by all people. Yet, incarcerated people in Connecticut are placed into environments that are harmful for their health, often without access to proper health care. This should be considered cruel and unusual punishment.
We must interrogate our justice system’s impact on health and health care. Why must punishment, if that is even the goal, extend to someone’s physical and mental health?
To get a sense of the effects of incarceration on a person’s physical and mental health, we can learn from Master Rashid, who is incarcerated in Cheshire Correctional Institution. Rashid is currently suffering from both the physical and mental costs of incarceration. As he ages in prison, his health issues have not only been frequently overlooked but also exacerbated by poor prison and medical conditions in Connecticut’s Department of Corrections (CT DOC). Just a small part of his story is included below.
Infectious disease: Rashid has contracted multiple infections from the poor sanitation in the prison showers, including tinea pedis (i.e., foot ringworm) and onychomycosis (i.e., a fungal infection in the nails). These infections are not only uncomfortable, but hard to manage without specific products he has issues accessing from CT DOC medical professionals.
Poor living conditions: Health certainly is not coming in the form of nutrition, as Rashid can barely put down the food served in the “chow hall.” Recreation time is limited, with few opportunities for fresh air. He worries about mold on the walls and what this might be doing to his health.
Musculoskeletal pain: Rashid also has lasting back pain from serious injuries from his time in prison. To start, he has been in multiple fights — even once using his body to shield a female correctional officer from physical harm. Having been kicked in his back more times than he can count, he suffers from bulging discs and cartilage loss. These instances, among others, have left him in constant physical pain.
Mental health: Rashid also has post-traumatic stress disorder — a mental health condition caused by experiencing a trauma that coincides with symptoms such as panic and hypervigilance. As a result of experiencing so much violence, he struggles with sleepless nights, intense nightmares, and constant flashbacks.
Undertreatment: With all this physical and mental pain, Rashid is in serious need of proper health care. However, he has struggled to get proper and quality treatment. For instance, Rashid explained the pure fear he experienced when he was told by a doctor at the University of Connecticut (UConn) that he had a possibly metastatic lesion in his hip that was found in an MRI scan. Despite this alarming medical news, Rashid has still not been seen by a bone specialist and has never spoken to anyone about treatment options.
Humiliating punishment: Not only does Rashid receive inadequate health care in prison, but when he finally is able to access care outside of Cheshire Correctional Institution, he has shackles binding his feet and black box handcuffs around his wrists. When Rashid returns to Cheshire Correctional Institution after supervised visits to UConn, he is then strip-searched — a process where he was made to remove his clothes, bend over at his waist, spread apart his bottom, and cough. Having been under supervision all day — he questioned to himself why this search was necessary.
When will we stop tolerating health care injustices that occur daily to incarcerated people?
Regulate DOC Healthcare Connecticut is a diverse coalition of health care workers, justice-impacted and formerly incarcerated individuals, and advocacy organizations that work to ensure better health outcomes for incarcerated individuals and returning citizens. Our coalition attempted to push a bill forward this legislative session that included (a) a regulatory body within the Department of Public Health, (b) an oversight committee, (c) implementation of the DOC Commissioner’s plan created from Public Act 22-133, and (d) adoption of the standards of the National Commission on Correctional Health.
Unfortunately, this bill will not be introduced this session due to insufficient funding of our ask and, with a short session, there were already many bills introduced. Although we will not get a bill this session, it is imperative that legislative action be taken in Connecticut to establish a standard of care and third-party oversight for improving health and safety outcomes for incarcerated individuals.
Katherine Hill, MPH is PhD student at Yale School of Public Health. Master Rashid is currently incarcerated at the Cheshire Correctional Institution.