Imagine being locked in a seven by seven foot cell, with your only window to the world looking out at a brick wall.
You are alone; you have no pen or paper, no books, no audio or visual stimulation. You are often denied clothing or you are provided a 'ferguson gown'—a Velcro-strapped garment that severely restricts your physical movement.
You are occasionally denied sheets or blankets or even a mattress so you won't harm yourself.You are rarely let out of your cell, spending 23 or 24 hours a day there, your only respite a shower. You are denied mental health treatment because you are in isolation, but you cannot be released from isolation until you learn how to better manage your behavior. The drudgery and despair of this monotonous and maddening existence continues almost uninterrupted for nearly seven months.
Imagine you’re only sixteen years old.