In recent weeks, for reasons unknown, three men from different backgrounds, all of whom live in the E-North cell block, attempted to take their own lives...
And their attempts were serious enough that, if not for the timely intervention of correction officers who happened upon them while making their rounds, they might have died.
It gets like this at times where suicides or attempts at it happen in cycles. This is especially true in E-North where the prison's "Intermediate Care Program" is located. "ICP," as it is called for short, houses inmates who are dealing with various "mental health" issues. They've been designated as needing special care. And this is where I have been working during weekday afternoons for many years, so I know. Depression, despair, frustration and hopelessness are some of the demons which afflict many of E-North's residents.
Nevertheless, it troubles me when I encounter such overt attempts at suicide. Two were by hanging, and one man slashed his wrists, probably with a sharp can top.
I think, however, that there are occasions when such suicides or attempted suicides have a spiritual element to them; it's not only psychological. I believe there are instances when evil spirits will provoke a person if he is troubled in his mind, and thereby more vulnerable to taking his life. I don't think it happens this way all the time. But it does occur whether well-meaning mental health professionals believe in the supernatural or not. After all, people can be ignorant of such things, and psychologists are no exception.
To reject the idea that demons exist, and that such creatures could, to a degree, be responsible for many suicides, is to me very tragic, but I understand. Those who do not have the Spirit of God living inside them through faith in Jesus Christ, could never comprehend such things. Yet their rejection of this doesn't make it false.
In any case, there are three men who are now either confined to the Observation Unit, which is located in a restricted part of the facility, or they may already have been transferred individually to the Central New York Psychiatric Center in the town of Marcy.
Interestingly, all three unrelated incidents happened late at night when the inmates are confined to our respective cells. About once every hour, a lone officer will walk the tiers of the housing areas to make a quick check of each man, most of whom are asleep. Such round making occurs in every prison, and it continues until the 6:30 wake-up bell sounds for the morning head count.
I know from three decades of incarceration that it's during the late night hours when, for prisoners, suicidal thoughts become more pronounced. Of course a man could kill himself at any time. I've known several who've taken their lives in the daytime. Yet it is during the long and lonely evenings when a man finds himself alone with his thoughts. Pent up feeling of failure and guilt arise. And Satan is a clever opportunist. With no one else to talk to, and especially with men who have already been diagnosed with depression and other mental maladies, the voices that call for suicide become louder.
It is the darkness where the Devil does his dirtiest works. And convincing men to kill themselves is one of his specialties. He did this with Judas Iscariot. Satan, according to the holy Bible, entered into Judas in order to get him to carry out his mission of betrayal. Then when the Devil was done using Judas, he got him to get a rope and hang himself. This is what the Devil often does when he's finished with a soul. "Kill yourself," he whispers. But soon that whisper becomes a shout, "Kill yourself now!"
Sadly, all too often men do what Satan tells them. Eventually, they self-destruct. God, however, is a Being of hope and a giver of life. The Devil wishes to hurry death and thereby speed men into eternity, unredeemed. Jesus, meanwhile, calls us to a life of peace, as well as to eternity with Him.
As a result of these suicide attempts, I am trying to be more alert. When I am at work in E-North, and also when I'm in my own cell block in the general population, I am watching for signs of depression. Most men, especially in a prison environment, are experts at hiding their true feelings behind macho masks of pride and self-sufficiency. Still, I seek for lives that might be on the brink of suicide. I need the Lord's guidance for such a task, and so does every Christian in the place.
D.B.
It gets like this at times where suicides or attempts at it happen in cycles. This is especially true in E-North where the prison's "Intermediate Care Program" is located. "ICP," as it is called for short, houses inmates who are dealing with various "mental health" issues. They've been designated as needing special care. And this is where I have been working during weekday afternoons for many years, so I know. Depression, despair, frustration and hopelessness are some of the demons which afflict many of E-North's residents.
Nevertheless, it troubles me when I encounter such overt attempts at suicide. Two were by hanging, and one man slashed his wrists, probably with a sharp can top.
I think, however, that there are occasions when such suicides or attempted suicides have a spiritual element to them; it's not only psychological. I believe there are instances when evil spirits will provoke a person if he is troubled in his mind, and thereby more vulnerable to taking his life. I don't think it happens this way all the time. But it does occur whether well-meaning mental health professionals believe in the supernatural or not. After all, people can be ignorant of such things, and psychologists are no exception.
To reject the idea that demons exist, and that such creatures could, to a degree, be responsible for many suicides, is to me very tragic, but I understand. Those who do not have the Spirit of God living inside them through faith in Jesus Christ, could never comprehend such things. Yet their rejection of this doesn't make it false.
In any case, there are three men who are now either confined to the Observation Unit, which is located in a restricted part of the facility, or they may already have been transferred individually to the Central New York Psychiatric Center in the town of Marcy.
Interestingly, all three unrelated incidents happened late at night when the inmates are confined to our respective cells. About once every hour, a lone officer will walk the tiers of the housing areas to make a quick check of each man, most of whom are asleep. Such round making occurs in every prison, and it continues until the 6:30 wake-up bell sounds for the morning head count.
I know from three decades of incarceration that it's during the late night hours when, for prisoners, suicidal thoughts become more pronounced. Of course a man could kill himself at any time. I've known several who've taken their lives in the daytime. Yet it is during the long and lonely evenings when a man finds himself alone with his thoughts. Pent up feeling of failure and guilt arise. And Satan is a clever opportunist. With no one else to talk to, and especially with men who have already been diagnosed with depression and other mental maladies, the voices that call for suicide become louder.
It is the darkness where the Devil does his dirtiest works. And convincing men to kill themselves is one of his specialties. He did this with Judas Iscariot. Satan, according to the holy Bible, entered into Judas in order to get him to carry out his mission of betrayal. Then when the Devil was done using Judas, he got him to get a rope and hang himself. This is what the Devil often does when he's finished with a soul. "Kill yourself," he whispers. But soon that whisper becomes a shout, "Kill yourself now!"
Sadly, all too often men do what Satan tells them. Eventually, they self-destruct. God, however, is a Being of hope and a giver of life. The Devil wishes to hurry death and thereby speed men into eternity, unredeemed. Jesus, meanwhile, calls us to a life of peace, as well as to eternity with Him.
As a result of these suicide attempts, I am trying to be more alert. When I am at work in E-North, and also when I'm in my own cell block in the general population, I am watching for signs of depression. Most men, especially in a prison environment, are experts at hiding their true feelings behind macho masks of pride and self-sufficiency. Still, I seek for lives that might be on the brink of suicide. I need the Lord's guidance for such a task, and so does every Christian in the place.
D.B.
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