Faces of Solitary: Joseph

Avid and Rooted in Rights continue to fight to eliminate Solitary Confinement in Washington State. In July 2022, we talked with Joseph Roberts who has been in Solitary Confinement, the hole, for more than 5 years. In this video he shares his experience. As of December 2022, after years in solitary and following extended advocacy, he was transferred out of solitary confinement to a mental health unit.
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Transcript of "Faces of Solitary: Joseph" produced by Avid and Rooted in Rights JOSEPH: My name is Joseph Roberts. I'm a prisoner here in the Department of Corrections. It's been five- like, it’s going on almost six years. So it's been five years and counting. They're not going to let me out of the hole. They never gonna let me out the hole. They’re never going to let me out the hole because I have behavioral problems. I wasn't like that when I was on mainline. I think that's important to say. I was not like that. [Audio Description] At the end of a hallway. Joseph, in a blue smock and handcuffs, is escorted by four correctional officers who press him to his knees. (JOSEPH): When we are struggling, then they throw us in the hole and then we get infracted. And then as a result of the infraction they say, “Oh, you lost your points and now you're maxed out.” I'm treated like an animal. It's like- it makes me feel like something’s wrong with me. And then they’ve got two officers escorting you. I mean, is it really that necessary? Two officers? You’re already cuffed up. [Audio Description] Joseph, now with leg cuffs is walked down the hallway by two correctional officers. Two more follow with waist restraints. (JOSEPH): It is torture it’s psychological torture. It can be physical torture, too, because you have panic attacks and it starts to just press on your body. It is every day, all day. And honestly, I have not seen them really make any changes. They need to focus on the mentally ill guys like myself, because we- there's times when we simply can't help it. They need to stop punishing us for infractions that are attributed. They need to have our mental health involved with it. They don't have that right now. They say they do, but they don’t. I'm telling you. They say they do, they don’t. Legislators, you guys see this, Please make a change. We're people. I'm just like you. Even though I'm like, I'm going through a hard time. You know, We're supposed to be getting rehabilitated. How am I being rehabilitated at this point? I'm in here rotting. Rotting. This doesn't serve any justice. This is- this is a systemic failure. Like, for real. Yeah.