TellMyStory

When Marcus broke his hand at Georgia State Prison, he filed sick call requests immediately. Three weeks and seven requests later, he finally saw a doctor—but by then, the bones had already set wrong. Now 34 years old with a permanently damaged hand, Marcus shares his story of medical neglect and the solidarity that keeps incarcerated people human in a system that treats them otherwise.

In January 2015, I entered Georgia’s prison system at Jackson Diagnostic. Within a week, I witnessed guards stand by as gangs beat a man to death. Over two months, I saw 50 people beaten into gangs while living in freezing, windowless dorms with no activities and constant violence.