Reports of Mental Illness Among Prisoners Increasing
More than half of all inmates have some sort of mental issue
Armando Cruz tied a noose around his neck and hanged himself from the ceiling of his prison cell. He left a note that ended in two chilling words.
"Remember me."
His mother Yolanda, who was shown the note after her son's death, wants to make sure no one forgets.
"They took away my only son," she says, her voice breaking.
Cruz killed himself on Sept. 20, 2011, during his incarceration at California State Prison in Sacramento, after a long history of mental illness. His story, first reported by the blog Solitary Watch, is an example of how the criminal justice system is ill-equipped to handle people with mental health issues.
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