Kaiden
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Kaiden is in his mid-20s and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug-induced psychosis. He is currently serving a custodial sentence in prison.
Kaiden told the Royal Commission that controversial ‘punishment’ rules are severely exacerbating his psychosocial disability.
Kaiden explained that these rules were introduced to bring law and order into the prison system. Inmates can be sent with little or no notice to another prison, where they spend up to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement. They call it being ‘sent down the back’.
Several years ago Kaiden was involved in an altercation with prison staff. ‘One thing led to another, I end up donging one of the officers,’ he said.
The next thing he remembers is ‘being woken up, 5.30 in the morning’ and dragged out of bed. He was handcuffed, taken out of his cell and strapped to what looked like ‘something out of some Hollywood movie ... like an asylum chair’.
‘[I sat there] like 11 and a half hours. No water, nothing. And just left there.’
Following an investigation over his assault of the officer, Kaiden was sentenced to several months of isolation.
‘I was only allowed out of my cell 15 minutes for a shower, [then a] 10-minute phone call ... not allowed to participate in any recreational activities.’
Many times while he’s been ‘down the back’, he recalls officers coming into his cell with riot shields and pepper spray canisters. Kaiden says officers ‘unloaded’ on him.
‘I’ve been pepper sprayed. I’ve been tasered ... I’ve still got scars on the back of my head from when they kicked the shit out of me.’
The ‘disruptive prisoner’ protocol is intended to ‘encourage’ more positive behaviours. But Kaiden says its implications are far more sinister.
‘It’s played a big big part of my mental health. I now suffer PTSD from being assaulted “down the back” ... it’s broke my mental persona severely ... it’s fucking ruined me.’
He says having spent many times ‘down the back’, he has become ‘programmed’ not to trust anyone. ‘We know if we say the wrong the thing, we’re automatically isolated and put into a chokey regime.’
Kaiden has also been to the prison’s medical centre several times in the past few weeks. ‘[They check] everything other than what I need to be checked for, my mental health.’
He’s been trying to see a ‘psychiatric doctor’ for months, without success.
Kaiden says he cannot wait until he is released to get the help he needs – he needs it now.
‘It’s all good me getting out and having a home and that to go to, but my mental health, if I can’t get that ... levelled before I get out, then there’s no hope for us when we get out.’
And he says ‘disruptive prisoner’ protocols and solitary confinement should not be used as punishment.
‘It’s not the cure to keep boys out of jail.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.