Why Prison Alarms Are So Traumatic
Date:  03-04-2025

Prison is already traumatizing, hearing an alarm means violence, medical emergencies, riots or other alarming incidents are occurring
From Daniel X. Cohen's article appearing in Prison Journalism Project:

One afternoon in May 2023, I was sorting laundry at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in San Diego, when the tower officer ran an alarm test. The old alarms had just been replaced and, because of where I was standing, I caught a direct blast of the newer, louder alarm. At once, I jumped and broke into a run, searching for cover.

A friend of mine was nearby. He burst into laughter. “You broke!” he said.

I hadn’t even thought about what I was doing. It was an instinctive reaction. Continue reading >>>