Innocent Until Proved Dead

Several prisoners prevented a suicide last week at the Corrections Corporation of America in Florence when they discovered a rope woven from bed sheets and took it to the prison chaplain.

No mystery whose rope it was -- Rick Walker, a member of the Viper Team, had repeatedly told his roommates, Dean Pleasant, Randy Nelson, and David Belliveau, of his intent to kill himself.

Pleasant, Nelson, and Belliveau asked the chaplain if there was anything he could do to help Walker, who has been increasingly despondent since his arrest the first week of July. They offered to take turns keeping an eye on him 24 hours a day, but the chaplain said he was obligated to report it to the warden.

Shortly thereafter, Walker was taken to solitary confinement and placed on a suicide watch. One might think that the next step would be to schedule a psychiatric consult, but such is not the case.

It is interesting to note that the Immigration and Naturalization Service, only a mile up the road from CCA, routinely provides psychiatric services to illegal aliens, including those convicted of rape and murder.

Unfortunately for Mr. Walker, he's just an American citizen who has not been convicted of a crime.

Some weeks earlier, after a nurse at Joe Arpaio's jail refused to test Mr. Walker's blood sugar with an inexpensive test strip (she said they didn't do such tests on that day of the week), Walker suffered an episode of diabetic hyperglycemia so severe that he had to be hospitalized.

Since the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen you breathe by oxidizing glucose, it should be clear that uncontrolled blood sugar can damage the brain rather easily. Add that to the stress of losing your business, your house, your freedom, and virtually all contact with your family, and Walker's suicidal inclinations are no longer surprising.

Incidentally, Walker offered to leave a note claiming full responsibility for everything the Vipers are accused of. Dean Pleasant gently reminded him that that would not be even remotely possible, given individual charges of illegal firearms possession.

A voice-mail message I left about this story at the R & G (along with the name of the New York Times reporter who suggested I call them) has not been returned.

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