Renaldo has waged many a battle for his sanity...
And, once again, he lost. He did put up a valiant effort this time, albeit in his own strength. It's just that Renaldo was no match for the demons that have overtaken his mind and soul, and who fuel his madness.
I first wrote about Renaldo, and his life and war, in 2009. See my journal entries for January 2009, 12 and 13. From the very start of his arrival here at Sullivan, and from our initial talks, Renaldo told me that the "craziness" has been inside his head since he was young.
Renaldo freely shared about his perpetual war, which to me appears to have no end in sight. It's almost as if his insanity fully defines who he is because, for the most part, this is all he has ever known since childhood. Although he would occasionally show up at chapel service, and would sometimes allow the church to pray for him, Renaldo would always give me a reason as to why he was not ready to surrender his life to Jesus Christ. He could never seem to trust in what I would call, "Help from above."
Nevertheless, Renaldo tried his best to survive incarceration. He had his collection of good luck charms, too. These consisted of an old Bible, pictures of Mary and Joseph, and strings of Rosary beads that he'd place in various locations in his little cell. And mixed with these religious amulets would be the huge doses of several different psychiatric medications that he was required to take, all of this without any apparent cure in sight.
Renaldo's mental and spiritual states are far too complex and sinister for charms and amulets or pharmaceutical magic to correct. Still, the mental health staff did the best they could. But now has come the realization that everything which could be done to help Renaldo, has been done.
Unfortunately, Renaldo had had another mental breakdown. This time it was a big one, as opposed to many lesser episodes of emotional unrest and psychotic outbursts. I'm used to this. I've met and ministered to dozens of similar cases. Yet I never lose hope. I have seen many wonderful miracles and deliverances, as well. So I continue to believe that Christ is the answer to a damaged mind. And I continue to do my job of trying to help these men because God's word assures me that my labor will never be in vain
(1 Corinthians 15:58).
But after this last crack-up, I think Renaldo will be gone for good. He was removed from his regular cell and was placed at the opposite end of the prison in a special observation area that's located in the Mental Health Unit. Here he will be closely watched twenty-four hours per day for at least several days, or maybe longer. After this he will be transferred to the Central New York Psychiatric Center (CNYPC) near the city of Utica, where many of New York's mentally ill inmates are housed, managed and medicated.
Then, if it so happens that Renaldo's release date from prison arrives before he is given the "all clear" at CNYPC, he will be paroled to a psychiatric hospital for civil commitments. At a civil hospital, he'll receive basically the same treatments. But in this setting, prison bars will be replaced with whatever restraints they use to confine non-criminal psychotics.
Finally, at some point Renaldo will be released from close contact psychiatric care, and he will be allowed to re-enter his community on an outpatient basis where he will have to take his medications without supervision. He will probably rejoin his father in his basement apartment, where his dad works as a janitor.
I also believe that God has not given up on Renaldo, and He never will. God's love for such a tormented and lonely man will never end.
D.B.
I first wrote about Renaldo, and his life and war, in 2009. See my journal entries for January 2009, 12 and 13. From the very start of his arrival here at Sullivan, and from our initial talks, Renaldo told me that the "craziness" has been inside his head since he was young.
Renaldo freely shared about his perpetual war, which to me appears to have no end in sight. It's almost as if his insanity fully defines who he is because, for the most part, this is all he has ever known since childhood. Although he would occasionally show up at chapel service, and would sometimes allow the church to pray for him, Renaldo would always give me a reason as to why he was not ready to surrender his life to Jesus Christ. He could never seem to trust in what I would call, "Help from above."
Nevertheless, Renaldo tried his best to survive incarceration. He had his collection of good luck charms, too. These consisted of an old Bible, pictures of Mary and Joseph, and strings of Rosary beads that he'd place in various locations in his little cell. And mixed with these religious amulets would be the huge doses of several different psychiatric medications that he was required to take, all of this without any apparent cure in sight.
Renaldo's mental and spiritual states are far too complex and sinister for charms and amulets or pharmaceutical magic to correct. Still, the mental health staff did the best they could. But now has come the realization that everything which could be done to help Renaldo, has been done.
Unfortunately, Renaldo had had another mental breakdown. This time it was a big one, as opposed to many lesser episodes of emotional unrest and psychotic outbursts. I'm used to this. I've met and ministered to dozens of similar cases. Yet I never lose hope. I have seen many wonderful miracles and deliverances, as well. So I continue to believe that Christ is the answer to a damaged mind. And I continue to do my job of trying to help these men because God's word assures me that my labor will never be in vain
(1 Corinthians 15:58).
But after this last crack-up, I think Renaldo will be gone for good. He was removed from his regular cell and was placed at the opposite end of the prison in a special observation area that's located in the Mental Health Unit. Here he will be closely watched twenty-four hours per day for at least several days, or maybe longer. After this he will be transferred to the Central New York Psychiatric Center (CNYPC) near the city of Utica, where many of New York's mentally ill inmates are housed, managed and medicated.
Then, if it so happens that Renaldo's release date from prison arrives before he is given the "all clear" at CNYPC, he will be paroled to a psychiatric hospital for civil commitments. At a civil hospital, he'll receive basically the same treatments. But in this setting, prison bars will be replaced with whatever restraints they use to confine non-criminal psychotics.
Finally, at some point Renaldo will be released from close contact psychiatric care, and he will be allowed to re-enter his community on an outpatient basis where he will have to take his medications without supervision. He will probably rejoin his father in his basement apartment, where his dad works as a janitor.
I also believe that God has not given up on Renaldo, and He never will. God's love for such a tormented and lonely man will never end.
D.B.
