Deaf in Jail - Mistreatment of the Deaf.

By Supporter Contributor Melisa Marzett

Deaf people belong to one of the most vulnerable layers of society for obvious reasons. They cannot hear. Deaf people in jail are even more insecure. Some might say that if a person is in jail, this person deserves it and deserves the mistreatment, despite any physical disabilities like Deafness. Prison is a punishment already. God teaches us to forgive and to have mercy. Unfortunately, not many of us follow God`s commandments.

Quite often, Deaf people in prison get poor healthcare. A Deaf person can be easy to frame or wrongly accuse. For a Deaf person, it would be difficult to prove himself not guilty. Such a person may easily become bullied and it is very rare for them to be given any tools for easier communication.

They cannot hear the guards, take classes or know when they have visitors. They cannot inform about being insulted and that makes them even more vulnerable to attack. They may become isolated, either physically, in protective custody or seclusion, or emotionally within the general population. There have been situations where correctional officers even faked sign language. A Deaf prisoner was taken out of his cell for a haircut and when the job was half done, the correctional officer asked to stop the process, poking fun at the prisoner who could not understand what is happening.

Making phone calls is also an issue for a Deaf inmate because this person has to reply on other prisoners or use a special teletypewriter for Deaf people. Some use video calls but their percentage is rather small. Deaf prisoners are also human beings and they have all the rights that people with no hearing loss problem have. They should receive psychological and medical care, they have the right of speech and the right to choose or follow their religion.

Deaf inmates may not hear audio announcements. Then, they are punished for disobeying the general rules. Many correctional institutions have rules, which are rather absurd about batteries and chargers for Deaf, cochlear implants, communication and sign language. Despite a Deaf inmate needing two hearing aids, he or she is allowed to get one only.

There is also well-known form of torture; solitary confinement. It is dreadfully cruel. More so for a person who is Deaf because they may not comprehend why this is happening to them. There are no prisons – or even cell-blocks or dorms for Deaf prisoners only. Therefore, quite often they are put into solitary confinement just because of their hearing difficulty.

Melisa Marzett is the woman behind CleverEditor.com.
She is a talented writer and blogger with an outstanding point of view on things. She is fond of reading, traveling, meeting new people and getting to know new things. She shares gladly with other people through her writings

Deaf in Jail – Mistreatment of the Deaf.