Here is a look at surviving long term solitary confinement in a United States Prison. Imma try to stay positive, and be it the will of God, you will never experience this burden. It is heavy… Believe us. It’s bigger than myself. Much bigger. This I know.
Administrative Segregation – complete isolation – exacts it’s toll even on those who enter healthy. Individuals with stable personalities and stronger cognitive functioning will still experience some degree of stupor, agitation, difficulties with thinking and concentration, obsessive thinking, irritability and difficulty tolerating external stimuli. Some describe a moment of terrifying clarity and the sudden realization that they’re losing their minds and slipping into psychosis. It’s the result of living in an empty space, void of all stimulus, for years…
We sometimes begin to self speak with the inner voice and enter periods of regression. Sometimes we can feel ‘the voice’ approaching and think… I gotta tighten my grip, or I’m gonna drown… All of us experience some form of this – even if we don’t admit it.
Almost every incarcerated PERSON I’ve spoken to in the last twelve years has coped with the growing insanity in any way they can with whatever is available to them – constructive or otherwise. What saves most of our lives in Administrative Segregation is a productive routine. It’s is an attempt to approximate the vitalizing effects of your world. Personally, I live vicariously through newspapers and magazines when funds permit. A good fiction novel will do, too. Those existing in ‘solitary’ must devise a regimen of continuous rigorous activity that utilizes creativity. Some draw. I write!
As the old saying goes – out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; massive characters are seared by scars. COMRADES, from the moment I awake (I stay woke) until the moment that I fall asleep (which is rare) I strive for purposeful thinking. A passive mind, a daydreaming mind or a TV watching mind (I haven’t seen one in years!) is a self harming mind. If I stay in the cell in my mind, I’ll never escape. Trapped within a trap. Caged within a cage. Double locked! Stuck between a rusty boxcar style door and a hard place. I’ll lose my mind. At least – what’s left of it… I’ll become a victim of my environment, and I refuse to let that happen. I REFUSE TO FAIL MYSELF.
Remember this always – strength doesn’t come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender – that is strength.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR. The only thing I ask is that you become a part of the solution. If you have loved ones in here – listen to their issues, write and visit if possible. If you don’t, take time out to support someone. You never know, it may be a fulfilling experience. Make a difference in somebody’s life – and spread the word – We Are People Too. I leave you in growth and peace. Follow your heart, it’ll never lead you wrong.
Tracy Greer, Jr. 1153032
South Central Correctional Center
255 W. Hwy 32
Licking MO 65542
Email: Jpay.com
