I hope caring people reading this will agree,that this situation is totally unacceptable, and somehow, we must find an intelligent, reasonable, and peaceful, means to change this outrage.
This is about my adult daughter, who was diagnosed with bipolar illness at age 15. It is a tragic story: I wrote to a Florida staff member as follows:
Dear Mr X:
Your pledge to aid Governor Crist in establishing an open,
accountable,and transparent administration,is very
commendable.
I hope you will be effective in doing something about the militant and predatory posture of various Florida Law Enforcement Agencies, and the Florida Department of Corrections. I have sent a similar message to Governor Crist. I pray
that you and Governor Crist, will begin a movement to release all, non-violent inmates from Florida prisons. The choice for the mentally ill, as well as drug
addicts, in an intelligent, and humane system,should be treatment, not incarceration. (Saving Florida tax-payers millions of dollars.) Abusing the mentally ill, and the addict, only serves to drive them deeper into their illness, and addictions, according to General Barry McCaffery.(sp?)Those inmates
who were once non-violent
offenders, are soon indoctrinated to become violent; prisons being what they are! Poorly operated prison systems, also risk the danger to become a breeding ground for terrorists! This a matter of national security. If we ever want to live free of terrorist attacks, our federal, state,county and city
law enforcement administrations, must stop practicing terrorism!
My daughter, DOC#000000, suffers from mental/emotional illness; she has issues, to be certain. However, the terrifying situation which landed her in prison for five years; I must take exception to. Nancy is the victim of three males, two that she trusted,(Nancy never met a stranger,as it’s said)
and considered as her friends; the third, a Mxxx deputy. Long story short, the two criminals conspired with an unethical Mxxx deputy; whereas they arranged to secretly videotape Nancy, (always anxious to please),as she agreed to run an errand downstairs, for her new friends. (To another predator, waiting in an unmarked Sheriff’s car, with video camera rolling). For committing this unspeakably heinous act of betrayal,the criminals received high praise; rewards of reduced prison
sentences, for their real, and actual crimes. All the while, my mentally disabled daughter become tangled, and eventually, tightly wrapped up within the treacherous web of corruption,false illusions,
and deceit. This is NOT what law enforcement is about! Who did that deputy really Serve and Protect? I’m told that this is a common and widely accepted law enforcement practice!The “ANYTHING
GOES, CONCEPT! So terribly, very un-American, I’d say!
Nancy was adjusting to prison life, and doing so well, she was moved to xxx. Within a very brief time, her life sustaining
medications were abruptly withdrawn! This is a dangerous, illegal, and life threatening act. By legal definition, the act falls under methods of “torture!” The xxx staff, although gainfully employed as Florida Inmate caregivers, they demonstrated indifference, detachment, and a complete lack of responsibility, to provide adequate services. That failure as a rule,would be grounds
for dismissal. However, what I heard was a lame, “This is prison, what do you expect?” mentality. That failure caused Nancy to lose touch with reality, and she suffered a full blown breakdown. Nancy changed so dramatically, and had aged by twenty years, that I didn’t recognize her when I visited her, two weeks later. Her punishment,for xxx staff’s medical
negligence, was to be thrown into solitary confinement (lock), for several (8)months! There, she was punched in her face, blackening her eyes, severely kicked, and beaten all over her body,including
on her injured back. The latest abuse, delivered at the hands of DOC’s xxx staff; Nancy is denied medical treatment!After sustaining
injuries to her back, when she fell off of a top bunk, over two weeks ago. Even with pre-existing serious back injuries, (from two car-accidents) and resulted in a curvature of her spine, she had been ordered to sleep on the top bunk! Now she is in constant agony, with excruciating pain! Nancy doesn’t deserve this nightmare of an existence, mainly because she has the capacity of an eight year old child. She still remains a human being!
As Nancy’s mother, I’ve protected her, and have had to fight off many sick predators, since her early childhood. Unfortunately, because she is “different”, Nancy remains a target for those possessed by a ruthless, cruel, and sadistic nature. Enough is enough! This is the 21st century, after all.
Improving psychological testing and screening methods for police, and prison personnel is definitely in order! That will assist to weed out deranged power junkies, who are currently enabled through their employment, to earn a decent living, and gain access to their victims!
Won’t someone in charge, please do what can be done, to stop this horror? Our entire family is being ruined by this debacle. This is a severe case of miscarriage of justice, to say the least.
I pray, as we prepare to observe the anniversary of our nation’s birth; as Americans, Floridians, and as human beings, we’ll begin to evolve, and move upward, avoiding the downward spiral; and a slippery slope,that leads
nations, leaders, (and those in positions of power) to adopt hateful, communistic, and fascist regime ideologies. I’ve addressed many of our Federal and State elected officials, regarding this ongoing problem, to no avail.
While I’m alive, (I’m a senior) I hope to connect with someone, in a position of power, who values the significance of common decency. One who will demand those who so brazenly, missrepresent the great and beautiful State of Florida, to either cease, or lose their jobs. Florida has a State Constitution; it should be revered, respected, and upheld! If it were, my daughter would not be in a Florida prison! Thank you for your prompt attention to this heartbreaking situation.

Sincerely yours,
Ms.****
To Bloggers: Am I still spinning my wheels?

Dave, I heartily DISAGREE with your assessment of community and low-cost mental health departments. My last hospitalization for mania was in 1977, and through the local mental health clinic, I have been treated as an outpatient ever since, through both one depressive episode, and several manic episodes, without hospitalization.

I must say I married a man in the mid-80s, who died five years later, but who left me with Federal Government BC/BS health insurance. This has been a godsend to me, as I continue to this day to suffer from bipolar disorder.

I have a psychotherapist who I met as a nurse on the University psychiatric ward in 1970, who is still treating me on a biweekly basis for $30/session as co-pay. I get my medication box for $1/wk. However, I do have to pay over $200/month for the medications. I only receive $1200/month from Social Security Disability, out of which comes $1,000 for my mortgage and condo fee. As you can see, I can’t POSSIBLY afford $500/month for my care.

I see a nurse practitioner as my shrink every three months, at a $45 per 20 min session. As I have been such a long-term “patient” of this clinic, my treatment is top-notch. I can’t say enough GOOD things about my treatment. If I have a complaint, or things aren’t feeling right, they regulate my medications like the more expensive psychiatrists do.

I only wish more states had as comprehensive and caring community mental health center. So – I am hereby recommending such care to anybody who wants consistent and professional therapy at a reduced rate. They have “sliding-scale” fees, and I feel I get the most for my money with them.