"G. Scott Hancock"

by G. Scott Hancock

There isn't much to hang yourself with inside the SHU

The SHU (Special Housing Unit) is used for punishment and solitary confinement. My celly, MM, made a rope from his bed sheet, tied one end to the bunk, and the other around his neck. He put all his weight on the sheet and let his body hang loose from the top bunk. I was freaking out and yelling at him for overreacting to not receiving dessert. I heard him shout, "This is too slow!" I ran over to the bunk and lifted his body as best I could, but his 300lb weight made it very difficult. I started yelling for the guards, and they shouted, "Shut up and stop faking it!" MM yelled that he was going to kill himself, and a guard yelled, "Go ahead!"

When the guards finally decided to look, they realized this was no joking matter. They hit the radio button that alerts all the guards in the compound, and at least 10 guards immediately ran down to the SHU. When an inmate emergency occurs in the SHU, the celly (me in this case) must cuff themselves first so the guards can enter. I didn't know what to do because I couldn't let go of MM to cuff up. A guard opened the lid for the slot in the door and started pepper spraying the hell out of me and MM. The door opened, and a guard threw me against the wall while another guard threw MM on the ground. They took me to another cell and threw me in before it registered that there was actual shit on the floor. There was no getting out of there until they took care of MM. MM ended up getting beaten by the guards.

Beating is the prison solution to life-threatening depression. I was finally let out of the shit-cell and taken back to the regular SHU cell with cleaning supplies to get rid of the pepper spray; it was almost impossible to get rid of the burn and the smell. Even after scrubbing the cell with bleach and washing my hands and face, if I rubbed my eyes, the burn would reignite, stinging me again. It was ridiculous; the smell lingered for days.