Petition to Congressman Jonathan Jackson and Senator Cory Booker,
Anthony Gay is a political prisoner. He was first incarcerated at the age of 21 for a minor offense and was held in solitary confinement in Illinois prisons for 22 years.
Anthony suffers from PTSD and because of his illness, he self-harms. Federal prison authorities response to his self-harming is to isolate him from other prisoners. Leading medical experts recognize that subjecting Anthony to segregation causes psychological pain, making it impossible for Anthony to receive effective treatment while held in isolation.
We, the supporters, friends, and family of Anthony Gay, an inmate at Livingston County Jail awaiting transfer to federal prison are calling
on you to request to President Biden that he grant Anthony clemency.
Anthony's Story
Anthony Gay is a political prisoner. He was first incarcerated at the age of 21 for a minor offense and was held in solitary confinement in Illinois prisons for 22 years. Alongside his lawyer Jennifer Soble from the Illinois Prison Project, Gay fought to get himself free in 2018. After his release, he became an advocate against solitary confinement and fought to pass the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act in Illinois to limit the use of solitary confinement to ten days in a 180-day period to bring the law in line with the United Nations definition of torture. However, in 2020, in the midst of his legislative battle, Gay was arrested in a frame-up by the Rock Island Police Department for possession of a firearm and ammunition, which he was barred from because of a felony on his record. These false charges against Anthony created such an uproar that even Angela Davis issued a statement in support of Anthony that struck doubt on the dubious nature of the “evidence” and ultimately concluded that he was jailed on false charges. When the trial came, Anthony represented himself in federal court and achieved a hung jury. But at his second trial, he was convicted by an all-white jury. A judge later sentenced Anthony to 7 years.
How Anthony Has Been Tortured
Since his conviction in the spring of 2022, Gay was transferred to Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) – Butner, North Carolina, where he was meant to undergo psychological evaluation. In his five months at FCC-Butner, Gay spent 90 days on suicide watch (suicide watch involves being placed in an empty cell with a mattress and a smock and watched by an “inmate companion” who is another incarcerated person with only four hours of training), engaged in self-harm 20 times, and underwent 12 surgeries. And despite Anthony informing staff at FCC-Butner that isolation would exacerbate his mental health symptoms, he was never able to leave suicide watch or live with others. At one point, Gay was transferred to the medical side of the complex, FMC-Butner, where his treatment plan included being denied soap and boxers when he exhibited symptoms of his mental illness, and where he continued to be placed on suicide watch.
Anthony's Mental Illness
During his sentencing hearing, the defense called Dr. Terry Allen Kupers, a psychiatrist and forensic psychiatrist who has studied the effects of solitary confinement on inmates for many years. Dr. Kupers stated that he recognizes suicide watch as a form of solitary confinement. He, like all the other doctors who have examined Anthony, confirmed that Anthony has PTSD. Also, Dr. Kupers described his visit to Tamms during Gay's time there and detailed how the floors of the cells were built slanted to make it easier to wash out blood and other bodily fluids. Dr. Kupers also recounted his interviews with those who had been held in prolonged solitary confinement and explained that 50% of suicides in prison occur in solitary confinement, and self-harm is common. He testified that the treatment Anthony received at FCC and FMC Butner was in violation of the American Psychological Association's standards for correctional mental health care and the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which state that more than 15 days in solitary confinement is considered torture, and that those with serious mental illness should not be held in solitary confinement. Dr. Kupers also explained that Anthony's self-harm is largely motivated by a need for relief from psychological pain, and that subjecting Anthony to solitary confinement is what is causing his psychological pain, making it impossible for Anthony to receive effective treatment while held in isolation.
Please Act Now!
As we've detailed in our letter, we believe that Anthony is innocent and that he is being tortured in solitary confinement. As loved ones of Anthony who are worried about the catastrophic effects solitary confinement will have on him, we are calling on you to act now and to request that President Biden grant Anthony clemency immediately!