Today, we stand with Jamel Gordon, a man whose mental health struggles have been ignored and exploited by MDC Brooklyn staff, leaving him vulnerable to abuse, retaliation, and deteriorating well-being. His story underscores the urgent need for change within our justice system, and we are committed to ensuring that his rights are upheld and his humanity is recognized.
Mr. Jamel Gordon is housed in MDC Brooklyn, the federal jail in New York City, awaiting sentencing. The staff at MDC Brooklyn is targeting Mr. Gordon based on his mental health issues. He struggles with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Instead of proper care, he has been met with negligence, retaliation, and cruel and unusual punishment, putting his life at risk. Alongside the staff’s disregard towards his mental health, Mr. Gordon is facing disproportionate punishment for mental illness related behavior in the form of denied visit privileges and lost “good time.” Mr. Gordon’s mental illness is being exploited to deny his privileges, treatment, and necessary mental health examinations during incidents (required by BOP Policy). However, it does not end there. The Remedy Project has reason to believe that staff at MDC Brooklyn is also sexually abusive towards Mr. Gordon, although Mr. Gordon is fearful to relay the facts of his sexual abuse due to fear of retaliation.
On July 23, 2024 Discipline Hearing Officer (DHO) E. Rogers found Mr. Jamel Gordon guilty of “threatening bodily harm” and “refusing to obey an order” based solely upon the testimony of the officer conducting a shakedown of his cell one week prior. The officer testified that he supposedly overheard Mr. Gordon say, “Y’all are going to find out who I am,” which they found to be “threatening.” Mr. Jamel Gordon’s words were extrapolated out of the context, which was not a bodily threat, but rather deliberately misconstrued as a threat. The officers involved sought to make an example out of Mr. Gordon. Despite testimony from Mr. Gordon’s witness that the statement was non-threatening and directed at other incarcerated people, not correctional officers, Mr. Gordon lost a total of 34 days of good conduct time and 270 visitation days and received 20 days in “Disciplinary Segregation,” or solitary confinement.
Staff deliberately misinterpreted Mr. Gordon, choosing power and image over his life. It is the DHO’s responsibility to conduct a fair and impartial trial, a responsibility that was neglected despite the incident report and officer testimony lacking sufficient evidence to support a threat of bodily harm. “Threatening Bodily Harm” refers to code 203, and is a high-severity level offense that should be strictly scrutinized rather than prematurely assumed. In this DHO hearing, staff had an obligation to examine Mr. Gordon’s mental wellness during the incident or the trial. Despite Mr. Gordon’s mental health concerns, he has not received so much as therapy; and the findings of his DHO report exploited his mental illness to delegitimize his testimony and plea for fair treatment. Staff clearly only wants to acknowledge Mr. Gordon’s mental struggle when it comes to unjust punishment instead of just giving him treatment. The misconfiguration and manipulation of Mr. Gordon’s words into a violent statement negate the possibility that Mr. Gordon might have been expressing that he supported by the Remedy Project, saying that he would fight the unfair search of his cell by filing a write-up against staff, which is a valid, necessary, and entirely non-violent means to grievance resolution within the BOP. Instead, staff saw the worst in Mr. Gordon, catering to a damaging and demeaning mindset that automatically assumes incarcerated people to be violent.
Mr. Gordon has also been subjected to various instances of staff assault, abuse (sexual, physical, and mental), and violations of due process rights, all of which have caused his mental health to deteriorate. Mr. Gordon attributes his mental illness to the unstable environment in which he was forced to survive by any means necessary; from a psychological perspective, Mr. Gordon will continue to experience deteriorating mental health concerns until his body and mind are ensured they are safe and no longer in “survival mode.” By imposing unduly punitive sanctions, preventing Mr. Gordon from expressing his rights, and continual assault and sexual abuse, it is evident that Mr. Gordon will continue to face increasingly exacerbated mental health concerns. Mr. Gordon feels unsafe disclosing all of the details of the assault in physical mail or over the phone for fear of continuous retaliation. He does not even feel safe in private correspondence. Lack of treatment for his mental health, alongside retaliatory actions by the MDC Brooklyn staff, has led to Mr. Gordon experiencing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts. His mental illnesses have gotten so bad that his family is worried that his life is at risk.
As punishment for behavior that has been grossly exaggerated and misconstrued, Mr. Gordon has now lost the ability to see his mother, sisters, and 6-year-old daughter through the overly demeaning and punitive sanction revoking over 270 visitation days. Staff at MDC Brooklyn is not only aware of Mr. Gordon’s mental health concerns and express indifference towards treating him, but they have also manipulated his deteriorating decision-making (as a consequence of untreated mental illness) to enforce unduly, unacceptable punishment. Isolation from his family has exacerbated the deterioration of Mr. Gordon’s mental health, and his family also suffers without the ability to visit their loved one.
How can a prison system principled on “successful re-entry to one’s community” (BOP Mission Statement) continue these hypocritical actions and expect successful re-entry when the BOP and MDC Brooklyn continue to unfairly target, sanction, isolate, and exploit Mr. Gordon and other incarcerated peoples’ mental wellness? The treatment of Mr. Jamel Gordon by the staff at MDC Brooklyn is not only a violation of his civil rights but also an indictment of a system that neglects the mental health and dignity of incarcerated individuals – perpetuating stereotypes that incarcerated people are violent and incapable of reintegration. These stereotypes not only punish those who committed wrongdoing, but they tell the people we punish they are unworthy of respectful treatment and basic human dignity. Mr. Gordon has been a victim of the criminalization of mental illness – continually punishing, silencing, and exploiting his mental state whilst altogether neglecting to treat him.
Mr. Gordon deserves immediate intervention to ensure his safety, mental health treatment, and restoration of visitation rights with his family, including his young daughter. Mr. Gordon must receive medication for his mental illness and the medical staff at MDC Brooklyn must cease their targeted abuse, cruel punishment, and negligence; putting Mr. Gordon’s life at risk. We demand Mr. Gordon be granted his constitutional rights and an appeal of the unjustifiable and unlawful DHO hearing held by DHO E. Rogers.
Today, we stand with Jamel Gordon, a man whose mental health struggles have been ignored and exploited by MDC Brooklyn staff, leaving him vulnerable to abuse, retaliation, and deteriorating well-being. His story underscores the urgent need for change within our justice system, and we are committed to ensuring that his rights are upheld and his humanity is recognized.
Mr. Jamel Gordon is housed in MDC Brooklyn, the federal jail in New York City, awaiting sentencing. The staff at MDC Brooklyn is targeting Mr. Gordon based on his mental health issues. He struggles with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Instead of proper care, he has been met with negligence, retaliation, and cruel and unusual punishment, putting his life at risk. Alongside the staff’s disregard towards his mental health, Mr. Gordon is facing disproportionate punishment for mental illness related behavior in the form of denied visit privileges and lost “good time.” Mr. Gordon’s mental illness is being exploited to deny his privileges, treatment, and necessary mental health examinations during incidents (required by BOP Policy). However, it does not end there. The Remedy Project has reason to believe that staff at MDC Brooklyn is also sexually abusive towards Mr. Gordon, although Mr. Gordon is fearful to relay the facts of his sexual abuse due to fear of retaliation.
On July 23, 2024 Discipline Hearing Officer (DHO) E. Rogers found Mr. Jamel Gordon guilty of “threatening bodily harm” and “refusing to obey an order” based solely upon the testimony of the officer conducting a shakedown of his cell one week prior. The officer testified that he supposedly overheard Mr. Gordon say, “Y’all are going to find out who I am,” which they found to be “threatening.” Mr. Jamel Gordon’s words were extrapolated out of the context, which was not a bodily threat, but rather deliberately misconstrued as a threat. The officers involved sought to make an example out of Mr. Gordon. Despite testimony from Mr. Gordon’s witness that the statement was non-threatening and directed at other incarcerated people, not correctional officers, Mr. Gordon lost a total of 34 days of good conduct time and 270 visitation days and received 20 days in “Disciplinary Segregation,” or solitary confinement.
Staff deliberately misinterpreted Mr. Gordon, choosing power and image over his life. It is the DHO’s responsibility to conduct a fair and impartial trial, a responsibility that was neglected despite the incident report and officer testimony lacking sufficient evidence to support a threat of bodily harm. “Threatening Bodily Harm” refers to code 203, and is a high-severity level offense that should be strictly scrutinized rather than prematurely assumed. In this DHO hearing, staff had an obligation to examine Mr. Gordon’s mental wellness during the incident or the trial. Despite Mr. Gordon’s mental health concerns, he has not received so much as therapy; and the findings of his DHO report exploited his mental illness to delegitimize his testimony and plea for fair treatment. Staff clearly only wants to acknowledge Mr. Gordon’s mental struggle when it comes to unjust punishment instead of just giving him treatment. The misconfiguration and manipulation of Mr. Gordon’s words into a violent statement negate the possibility that Mr. Gordon might have been expressing that he supported by the Remedy Project, saying that he would fight the unfair search of his cell by filing a write-up against staff, which is a valid, necessary, and entirely non-violent means to grievance resolution within the BOP. Instead, staff saw the worst in Mr. Gordon, catering to a damaging and demeaning mindset that automatically assumes incarcerated people to be violent.
Mr. Gordon has also been subjected to various instances of staff assault, abuse (sexual, physical, and mental), and violations of due process rights, all of which have caused his mental health to deteriorate. Mr. Gordon attributes his mental illness to the unstable environment in which he was forced to survive by any means necessary; from a psychological perspective, Mr. Gordon will continue to experience deteriorating mental health concerns until his body and mind are ensured they are safe and no longer in “survival mode.” By imposing unduly punitive sanctions, preventing Mr. Gordon from expressing his rights, and continual assault and sexual abuse, it is evident that Mr. Gordon will continue to face increasingly exacerbated mental health concerns. Mr. Gordon feels unsafe disclosing all of the details of the assault in physical mail or over the phone for fear of continuous retaliation. He does not even feel safe in private correspondence. Lack of treatment for his mental health, alongside retaliatory actions by the MDC Brooklyn staff, has led to Mr. Gordon experiencing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and suicidal thoughts. His mental illnesses have gotten so bad that his family is worried that his life is at risk.
As punishment for behavior that has been grossly exaggerated and misconstrued, Mr. Gordon has now lost the ability to see his mother, sisters, and 6-year-old daughter through the overly demeaning and punitive sanction revoking over 270 visitation days. Staff at MDC Brooklyn is not only aware of Mr. Gordon’s mental health concerns and express indifference towards treating him, but they have also manipulated his deteriorating decision-making (as a consequence of untreated mental illness) to enforce unduly, unacceptable punishment. Isolation from his family has exacerbated the deterioration of Mr. Gordon’s mental health, and his family also suffers without the ability to visit their loved one.
How can a prison system principled on “successful re-entry to one’s community” (BOP Mission Statement) continue these hypocritical actions and expect successful re-entry when the BOP and MDC Brooklyn continue to unfairly target, sanction, isolate, and exploit Mr. Gordon and other incarcerated peoples’ mental wellness? The treatment of Mr. Jamel Gordon by the staff at MDC Brooklyn is not only a violation of his civil rights but also an indictment of a system that neglects the mental health and dignity of incarcerated individuals – perpetuating stereotypes that incarcerated people are violent and incapable of reintegration. These stereotypes not only punish those who committed wrongdoing, but they tell the people we punish they are unworthy of respectful treatment and basic human dignity. Mr. Gordon has been a victim of the criminalization of mental illness – continually punishing, silencing, and exploiting his mental state whilst altogether neglecting to treat him.
Mr. Gordon deserves immediate intervention to ensure his safety, mental health treatment, and restoration of visitation rights with his family, including his young daughter. Mr. Gordon must receive medication for his mental illness and the medical staff at MDC Brooklyn must cease their targeted abuse, cruel punishment, and negligence; putting Mr. Gordon’s life at risk. We demand Mr. Gordon be granted his constitutional rights and an appeal of the unjustifiable and unlawful DHO hearing held by DHO E. Rogers.
