I'm a documentary fanatic who happened to come across the story of Ashley Smith, a young girl who was supposed to go to a juvenile detention center for one month and never came home. Up until watching this documentary, I didn't have a complete idea of how mental illness is currently treated in the prison system. Now that I have done more research into it, I am truly disgusted. It is my hope that this article will make people aware and facilitate change.

To provide insight into how I became aware of this awful treatment, I want to explain Ashley Smith and her experience to those who do not know who she is and what happened to her.

Ashley Smith was 15 when she was forced to go to a juvenile center that was supposed to help her with some of the issues she had. She had behavioral problems that were diagnosed by a psychologist that her family hired. The psychologist did not attempt to diagnose any mental illness. Her behavioral problems are what caused the behavior that put her in the center, but no follow-up ever occurred for her to receive treatment for these problems. The center did not have any programs other than anger management and drug addiction programs.

Smith had not been explained anything when she was put in the center, even when they were strip searching her. She acted out because of her mental illness and behavioral issues, eventually leading to being placed in something similar to solitary confinement. She was never taken out of solitary confinement. Every time the guards entered, she attacked them and caused them to deny her food, taser her, and pepper spray her. This type of treatment occurred constantly and resulted in time being added to her one month sentence.

Smith did not have any interaction with other inmates and was often left alone. She became so desperate for human interaction that she began choking herself with a cloth so that the guards would come in and check on her. At times, the guards would place her in something called "the wrap" that would bind her arms and legs and prevent her from moving. They would leave her like this for hours and not allow her to go to the bathroom.

When Smith's parents came to visit, they noticed she had bruises all over her. Her eyes were swollen and she could only see out of one of them. She had choked herself so many times that the veins in her face had burst. She had begun cutting. Her parents raised their concerns to the guards and they ensured that she was being well-taken care of.

At the age of 18, Smith was moved to a penitentiary. She was still being kept in segregation or solitary confinement. Any time force was used against Smith, which was every single day, a report was done.These reports were supposed to be reviewed but never were. After 60 days, inmates in segregation are supposed to have their cases reviewed to see about moving them to where the other inmates are kept. Instead of reviewing Smith's case after 60 days, they just transferred her to another penitentiary. This transfer meant that her case would not be reviewed and the 60 days would start over. They did this continuously.

While Smith was incarcerated, she was denied hygiene products, bedding, and even a mattress. While most other segregation rooms had a bed and television, Smith's was empty. She picked at the tiles on the floor of her cell in the hopes that they would replace it with carpet so she could be a little warmer.

Smith continued to use the choking as a way to have interaction with others and it was supposed to be taken seriously every time. Eventually, guards were instructed that if Smith was choking herself, they were not to enter her cell. The guards were told that if they entered her cell and she was still breathing, they would be fired. This caused guards to simply ignore her every time she choked herself. Unfortunately, Smith choked herself one time in a serious manner. The guards walked past her cell and watched her for 20 minutes and they were continually instructed to not enter her cell. After so much time had passed without her responding, the guards entered the room to find that she was dead.

Smith's story is a sad one, but it is true. The resources she was supposed to be provided were not made available to her and she never received any sort of proper treatment. After showing signs of mental illness, she was never officially evaluated. She was disciplined every day, but no one reviewed the reports. She was left to be separated from other inmates for nearly the entire time she was incarcerated.

Smith is not the only one who has received this sort of treatment. There are several cases that have been shared and some that have not of individuals being forced to suffer while in prison because they are not receiving the help they are supposed to. We may have come a long way from enprisoning the mentally ill and experimenting on them, but we have much more work to be done. We cannot continue to allow this treatment to go unnoticed and unchanged. It continues to perpetuate a society that neglects the treatment of the mentally ill and appropriates denying care to those who need it.

I realize that most people are reluctant to sympathize with the mental treatment of prisoners because they have committed some sort of crime to end up in prison. However, some could be like Smith. Smith was put into a juvenile center for what was supposed to be a month sentence and ended up there for years because her behavioral and mental health issues were not evaluated and treated. We cannot pick and choose which prisoners get to receive mental health treatment and prisoners that are like Smith, ones that commit petty offenses, should not have to suffer for the crimes of felons.

I urge you all to push for the mental health rights of those who are unable to freely seek treatment. It would allow individuals to better themselves and make the world a better place.