In the year 2016, Marchell Taylor found himself within the cold, uninviting confines of the Denver County Jail. Having just regained freedom, only 36 days had passed before he succumbed to crime again, robbing a Papa John’s and assaulting one of its employees. Given his prior history, his potential sentence was a harrowing 300 years. It led Taylor to question, why was he ensnared in this repetitive cycle of crime?
To understand Taylor’s story, it was important to delve back to a time when he was merely a 9-year-old boy in 1978. During that fateful year, a life-altering moment occurred when his family’s car crashed into a wall. As he awoke, he found his face stained with blood. His resultant brain injury was left unattended.
Subsequent to the accident, a noticeable shift in his demeanour was observed. Once an ordinary child, he suddenly became impulsive and aggressive. In his own language, he ‘transformed into a snappy and violent person’. Marijuana and alcohol turned into his refuges when he was barely 10, and he resorted to breaking into homes at 13. A 7-Eleven fell prey to his burgeoning criminal instincts when he was only 14.
His life took a severe turn in 1993 when he was caught for engaging in a heinous act of robbery. Consequently, he found himself leaning on the rigidity of the prison walls in a top-security facility. This was just the beginning of Taylor’s journey through various institutions for a span of over 20 years – a pattern interrupted by the diagnosis of his brain injury in 2016 while awaiting trial.
This revelation resulted from a pioneer mental health scheme in the Denver County Jail, the Men’s Mental Health Transition Unit. A team of psychologists conducted an insightful screening. Following this evaluation, Taylor was introduced to several therapeutic techniques such as cognitive-behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. These therapies, designed to help process traumatic memories and experiences, came as a revelation to Taylor, as they enabled him to understand the inner workings of his brain.
It might be easy to dismiss the fact that a traumatic childhood injury in the brain could be a root cause behind years of criminogenic behaviour. Although Mr. Taylor’s case had multiple factors like sustained substance abuse, financial instability, and weak social support adding to his criminal tendency, the correlation between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and repeated imprisonment cannot be overlooked. With an understanding of this relationship, it might be possible to alleviate the driving factors of such recidivism.
It’s startling to realise that almost half of those entangled in the US legal justice system have a history of traumatic brain injury. Disturbingly, the percentage of women with TBIs in jail is speculated to be even higher. This correlation between early-onset brain injuries and criminal propensity is becoming more understood over time.
Neglecting to treat a brain injury has repercussions that can be life-altering for individuals, leading to emotional instability and social disharmony. Such individuals might also face struggles to acquire new abilities, impacting their professional lives, and making the sustenance of stable housing an uphill task. Unfortunately, many of these invisible injuries go unnoticed, adding to the struggle, especially when those impacted lack public visibility.
Despite these hurdles, certain states have initiated steps towards recognizing and addressing the issue of TBIs amongst their prison population. Notably, in Colorado, a novel law has been enacted, mandating the introduction of a pilot programme to provide brain injury screenings for those awaiting sentencing in the criminal justice system.
As part of the implementation of this law, the Department of Corrections in Colorado has launched an initiative at the La Vista Correctional Facility. This program allows women with past TBIs to participate in weekly sessions centred around coping strategies to handle debilitating symptoms. These symptoms may include impulsivity, memory loss, and a profound sense of grief.
In Indiana, another valuable initiative calls for training probation officers about brain injuries, as reports have indicated that people with TBIs are twice as likely to return to prison within a year of being released. Many advocates believe it would be beneficial if these solutions were implemented more widely.
Proponents argue for mandatory brain injury screenings and treatments to be provided for all convicts across all states. These programs could offer the necessary insights into the extent of their injuries and could help in their recovery by providing skill development sessions. This could have transformative effects, helping them to navigate through subsequent court encounters and other complicated scenarios.
These measures could also provide succor to professionals working in close quarters with individuals recovering from their brain traumas. They usually battle compassion fatigue, and such initiatives may offer them relief and support.
Another essential element of this process is the provision of sustained support post-release from imprisonment. This could play a vital role in reducing the rate of subsequent arrests and prevent additional victimisations.
Buoyed by the persuasive powers of the new research and the remarkable improvement shown in Taylor’s case, the judge issued a 16-year suspended sentence and eight years of mental health probation to him in 2017. Thus, as long as he walks the correct path, he will remain free from the prison walls.
Mr. Taylor has since devoted himself to suicide prevention efforts in Denver, and has co-founded an initiative named ‘Rebuild Your Mind’, aiming at destigmatizing brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. As more states across the country realize the enormous potential of understanding and treating brain injury amongst their prison inmates, he may not be the only one to use this newfound understanding as a tool for remarkably enhancing their life after prison.