I lost a client. It's not the first time but it's one of the hardest. What happened to Tammy Jackson is something that happens every day in our system. She was a woman with a profound mental health problem. Our system treated her like a piece of garbage. Her screams were ignored as she gave birth alone in the Broward County Jail because she was a drug addict. Our system put her in a cage and ignored her disease. Our system ignores the constitutional rights of the mentally ill and does this on regular basis.
I put my head on my pillow knowing that I do my best. We fight for people like Tammy who are abused by the system and deserve better. Understand this is not just about the dignity of women; it is about a systemic failure to give dignity to the mentally ill and the criminalization of those that we choose to ignore. We will continue to fight until we achieve justice for Tammy.
I would like to thank the Dignity Project for holding firm when it was proposed to take Tammy's name off of the legislation that now protects others like her who are pregnant and in jail. They wanted to remove her name because she was a drug addict. This is the problem. Behind most drug addicts is a person who can't afford insurance or who can't figure out the maze of case workers, appointments, evaluations, applications, etc before you get to walk in the door. Demand change. Don't forget Tammy. We won't.
We fight to right the wrongs in our system. If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of a violation of your constitutional rights call Williams Litigation Group today.
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