“If you don’t like it, don’t come to prison.”

That’s something I’ve said in regards to a number of issues people are fighting to improve within the system – things like mail being delivered late or not at all, bad tasting/non-nutritious food, and being victims of profiteering. These are some of the inconveniences I accept as part of the prison experience.

However, the lack of decent medical care goes beyond inconvenient; to me, it feels inhumane. From my perspective, the state is not fulfilling its obligation to provide medical care to the inmates here. In prison we have medical (a wing in the building), not medical care. There is an inmate who has been through hell trying to get reasonable medical care. His story is not unique, but I will share it because I am particularly close to the situation and have watched it unfold.

This inmate blew his knee out (torn meniscus and ACL) two years ago and has been trying with no luck to get a routine surgery ever since. It took six months for him to be able to walk without crutches, and now he does so slowly and with a limp.

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I can even accept the prison telling me they would not repair my shoulder (torn labrum), as it did not “effect a major life function.” But last time I checked, walking was a major life function. Even if the prison eventually concedes and gives this prisoner surgery, the time it has taken is a gross exploitation of their position. In the meantime, his other knee, which has to compensate, is wearing down and starting to hurt as much as the other. That’s not all though.

Each of his first seven trips on medical transport were what’s called a “dry run.” This is where an inmate is sent from Gunnison to Draper, housed for a few days in just about the worst conditions in the prison, and then sent back to Gunnison without ever seeing a medical professional. In two years this prisoner has reported to have gone on 20 medical transports, and only five have not been dry runs. On his 19th visit, one where he actually saw the doctor, he was told his MRI showed that he needed surgery and he was being scheduled for it.

On his next trip, he was told he was there to get his hip X-rayed. This was alarming as he didn’t have a hip problem. When he told them that it was his understanding that he was supposed to be there for surgery on his knee, not a hip X-ray, they simply asked whether or not he was refusing. He did not, because if he refused any medical care, the case would be closed and he would have to start the whole ordeal over again.

When he got back to Gunnison, he scheduled an appointment with the doctor to ask what was going on. The doctor told him he wasn’t scheduled for surgery and never had been. The prisoner asked if his dad could call somewhere to get to the bottom of all this and he says the doctor made a comment about him not being 15 years old and said his “daddy” couldn’t help him. The doctor did confirm that there was no good reason for him to have gotten his hip X-rayed, but that didn’t stop the prison from taking most of his money out of his account to pay for it.

This inmate currently has no idea what is going on and has no clue what to do about it. He is needlessly disabled and always in pain, but that’s not the extent of the issue. I realize government bureaucracies are often extremely inefficient, but I really don’t believe the system is this inept. I think there is something more sinister at play.

This situation just illustrates what I’ve stated before, and that is my belief the hoops they make a prisoner go through are used as a deterrent so inmates won’t seek medical treatment. I’m sure it saves money. Eventually inmates just give up on the idea of getting proper medical care, while many more never seek treatment because they already know the battle ahead. I know when I busted my finger or injured my knee, I didn’t even bother.

Luckily for me I haven’t had any serious medical issues, but there are other inmates who don’t have the luxury to simply forego care. Still, they don’t necessarily receive help. I know someone who had to go through his prison stay nearly blind, and now sees just fine because his cataracts were fixed upon release. I know another person who only received treatment for his massive hernia after filing a lawsuit against the prison. Only the most persistent prisoners receive treatment. But before that happens, it’s likely they’ll have to suffer for a long while, and I honestly believe that’s by design.

Brian Wood, formerly of Layton, is an inmate at the Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. He pleaded guilty to nine felony charges for offenses from 2011 to 2014, including counts of burglary, drug possession and prescription fraud. He could spend up to 25 years in prison, depending on parole hearings.