We had a guy try to take apart his own face with a razor last night. Luckily, I wasn't present - I was just the one who got a phone call telling me to go unlock the blood spill porter (prisoner worker trained in hazardous waste clean-up) because he had quite the mess to take care of. I saw photos of the aftermath and read the report.
Prison certainly has the potential to escalate a mentally ill person's condition, or the symptoms of their condition. But then again - so does just about every aspect of life.
Though I've also heard some interesting anecdotes about somewhat crazy people thriving in prison - you just have to be crazy enough to gain the respect of other prisoners, but not so crazy that you can't hold it together for less than a few days at a time.
The lesson is: Being mentally ill means you're probably shit out of luck for proper care, and that's the way it will stay in this country for a long time - so hopefully fate tips your way and you find a way to grapple with the illness, because luck will be all the help you're gonna have.
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