Anthony Gay’s s solary nfement led to self-mutilatn. Now a proposed law to lim prisoner isolatn Illois is named his honor.

Contents:

• ANTHONY GAY’S S SOLARY NFEMENT LED TO SELF-MUTILATN. NOW A PROPOSED LAW TO LIM PRISONER ISOLATN ILLOIS IS NAMED HIS HONOR.
• TOP FIVE PROPOSAL IAS FOR GAY MEN
• CHARGED FOR STEALG HAT AND $1, ANTHONY GAY RELEASED AFTER 22 YEARS OF SOLARY NFEMENT

ANTHONY GAY’S S SOLARY NFEMENT LED TO SELF-MUTILATN. NOW A PROPOSED LAW TO LIM PRISONER ISOLATN ILLOIS IS NAMED HIS HONOR.

Spurred by a Chigo Tribune vtigatn volvg a man who spent two s isolatn after beg nvicted of stealg a hat and a sgle dollar bill, a proposed state law would lim how long an Illois prisoner n stay solary Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Rtrictn Act would bar the Illois Department of Correctns om placg an mate isolatn for more than 10 days a six-month perd. Anthony Gay be emotnal while speakg March 10, 2020, about his years solary nfement. ”The bill is named for Anthony Gay, a Rock Island native who entered prison 1994 as a young man, nvicted of robbery after brawlg wh another teen who told police that Gay took his hat and stole $1.

Gay expected to serve as ltle as 3½ years. Instead, a fight wh a fellow mate led to Gay’s first stt segregatn, phg him to a downward spiral that rulted 22 years solary nfement. Shortly after the isolatn started, Gay began self-mutilatg and attemptg for 23 hours a day and starved for human ntact, Gay took extreme steps to get attentn.

Once, he packed a fan motor si a gapg leg wound; another time he cut open his scrotum and serted a are visible on Anthony Gay's arm while he worships at the Church of Peace Rock Island 2018. Gay cut himself repeatedly durg his s solary nfement. (Brian Cassella / Chigo Tribune)As his md began to terrate, Gay beme antagonistic toward his guards and ocsnally threw ure or fec at them, unlawful acts of fiance that stretched his origal sentence to more than two s behd Livgston County, where Pontiac Correctnal Center is suated, the state’s attorney’s office lodged a seri of 21 dictments agast Gay between 2000 and 2004 for the many tim he threw his own bodily fluids at guards.

TOP FIVE PROPOSAL IAS FOR GAY MEN

The Illois Department of Correctns would later intify Gay urt filgs as one of a few dozen mat whose mental illns were so acute and dangero that they required full patient re. But a Tribune vtigatn found his psychiatric treatment often nsisted of a therapist shoutg qutns to him through a he reunted how his mental health erod isolatn, the normally stoic Gay broke down tears Tuday durg a news nference promotg the proposed legislatn. If the state had followed through wh s plans, Gay would have spent the rt of his life alone si a cell the size of a parkg space.

”On his darkt days, Gay clung to the ia that he would fd a way to end IDOC’s isolatn polici. While Illois has signifintly rced the number of days juvenile offenrs spend isolatn and no longer segregatn as a punishment for young people as part of a nsent cree between the partment and the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn of Illois, those polici do not extend to the adult has phed unsuccsfully for solary nfement reforms for nearly four years, but he believ the bill has s strongt chanc of passg durg the current legislative ssn given Gay’s volvement. Anthony Gay wh one of his attorneys, Maggie Filler of the MacArthur Jtice Center, at Cool Beanz Coffee Hoe Rock Island 2018.

“Transparency is absolutely a val part of this bill, ” said Gay’s attorney, Nilette Ward of the Romanucci & Bland law firm.

CHARGED FOR STEALG HAT AND $1, ANTHONY GAY RELEASED AFTER 22 YEARS OF SOLARY NFEMENT

Right now, we don’t how many Anthony Gays are the system. ”Gay was released om prison Augt 2018 after his attorneys succsfully petned to have his sentence rtctured. Anthony Gay speaks about his two s spent solary nfement Illois prisons.

Gay returned to his Rock Island home after beg released 2018. After spendg 22 years solary nfement, Anthony Gay is tryg to make sure no other prisoner Illois has to experience the same level of trma that he went is the face of the state's Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Act, a bill veloped over the last 10 years that would lim solary nfement to no more than 10 days per six-month perd.