Sometimes pepper spray is the way to restrain someone, says psychiatrist Pablo Stewart. „But usually a prisoner who out of control something completely different is needed: psychological help.” The fourth season of motive zooms in on a prison in Illinois and tells of harrowing incidents between guards and inmates. Anger is not always an expression of aggression, but is often combated by prison guards with violence. Stories of threats, injuries from guards out of view of security cameras and use of too much tear gas show how vulnerable inmates are, and how little guards know about mental health problems. Inmates, guards and prison psychologists speak and that makes the story strong: anecdotes are illuminated from all sides.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of May 7, 2022