Saturday, 21 March 2015, we had a gender-specific group discussion on behaviors they, as patients, feel they display during the weekdays opposed to those they display on the weekends. We started with the male patients around 10:00am and went until 11:00 am. During this group we asked one question, “Why does your behavior during the week differ so much from that on the weekend?” During this discussion, the male patients disclosed concerning information to us regarding two separate staff members that have been consistently using racial slurs, derogatory homosexual comments, derogatory sexual comments, and other profane names toward the patients such as: Faggot, Nigger, Bitch, Pussy, Punk, Asshole, and Punk-ass-bitch(es). The group revealed that they are called these names on a regular basis during the 2pm-10pm weekday shift. Each group member claimed to have been referred to as these types of names at least once, whether it was in a semi-joking manner or a serious manner. The male patients also disclosed to us that their lives have been verbally threatened. Staff members during the shift in question said to one male patient, “We are going to pick up that rock over there and drop it on your fucking head!” Another male patient has been physically threatened for walking behind a staff member. The staff member in question, grabbed the male patient by the shirt collar and said to him, “Don’t you ever fucking walk up behind me!” while holding him up against the hallway wall in the male side of the John T Raukar Institute. The male patients feel as though they have been written-up without warning, and written-up several times without them being reviewed by their counselor.
After our discussion with the males, we had a discussion with the females on why their behavior differs during the weekdays verses the weekends. The discussion went from 11:00am-12:00pm. During this discussion we asked the same question that the male patients were asked “Why does your behavior during the week differ so much from that on the weekend?” During this discussion the female patients disclosed more concerning information regarding the same two staff members. Although some of the issues differed, most of the concerns matched up with the male’s area of concern. The female patients told us that they have been being called names such as: Whores, Little Sluts, Bitches and Hoes. The females revealed that, like the males, they are called these names on the weekday shift between the hours of 2pm-10pm. The also claimed to have been verbally threatened as well. One female reported to me that she was joking with another male patient and the staff member said “You need to put a leash on your bitch and shut her up!” The same female also disclosed that she had been told this phrase more than once but on various separate occasions. Another female disclosed to me that the staff “barely knocks on our doors and barges right in when we are getting dressed.” This same patient also told us “While I was talking to Duke, we both caught him checking out my ass and wouldn’t stop.” Another female patient was talking back to the staff and the staff replied “Shut your mouth or I’ll pull on your nipple and fucking cut that shit off with scissors!” The same female that reported this has been referred to as “Whore” more than once during the shift in question. The main area of focus during the discussion was inappropriate behavior such as: staring at them inappropriately, name-calling, and lack of privacy.
The staff that was identified by both male and female patients is Jordan and Miguel. During this discussion, none of the patients were coerced into making these accusations nor did they know about what each separate group had said in regards to the topic of discussion. The discussion was led with my coworker Matthew Mchargue.