RAIFORD, FL—Saying that the disciplinary measure would make the prisoner think twice the next time, Union Correctional Institution warden Roy Connaught said Wednesday he figured a week in solitary confinement ought to teach inmate Ethan Williams not to be schizophrenic. “I reckon a stretch in the hole might show Ethan a thing or two about suffering from a severe, chronic mental disorder,” said Connaught, claiming that Williams needed 22 hours a day in a small cell isolated from all human contact to reflect on the confused thought patterns and disconnection from reality that had gotten him thrown in there. “I tell you what—after only a few hours, he’s going to wish he never had the combination of genetic and environmental factors that produced abnormalities in his brain chemistry resulting in an untreated pathology. If he hasn’t learned his lesson and gone into remission by the end of next week, I’ll just keep him in there until he does.” At press time, Williams had been moved to the prison infirmary after battering himself into unconsciousness by striking his head repeatedly against the cell wall.

Advertisement