The problems of mental illness among the inmate population in the United States have increased in the past three decades, and the federal courts are increasingly faced with individual prisoners, seeking redress in the courts, who present extraordinary challenges to the system because of their mental illnesses. This article details the story of one such prisoner and the tragic consequences of his mental illness as well as his efforts to obtain court intervention to assist him in protecting what he believed, in his distorted view, were his religious rights. The article calls for a recognition of the social and economic costs of failing to provide appropriate treatment for those who are mentally ill and especially the costs to the courts and the prison system for those suffering such illnesses while in prison.
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