Stop cruel and abusive treatment of mentally ill prisoners and provide basic mental health care to all inmates

Half the prison population has a serious mental illness. In custody, lacking basic treatment, they often become sicker. Without medications they may act violently against themselves or others, fail to follow prison rules, not respond appropriately because of symptoms like hallucinations or delusions. Prison staff react with punishment: full body restraints, exposure to extreme cold, beatings, tasings, leaving prisoners in their own feces, verbal, psychological abuse and neglect - even solitary confinement sometimes for years. Many die by suicide. Others suffer permanent psychological and physical damage - all for lack of basic life-saving mental health care, on par with other medical care.Their human rights are being violated.