“Gladiator Days: Anatomy of a Prison Murder” is a 2002 documentary about the murder of a black man by fellow inmates in Utah State Prison. The two killers are Troy and Eric, both white supremacists. Troy was originally imprisoned in Nevada State for the murder of one James Kelly in 1986. Troy killed Kelly as revenge for stalking Sandy, his long-time friend, for sex. Although Sandy had asked her friend to just teach Kelly a lesson, he killed him instead. Apparently, Troy was enraged by how Kelly had subjected Sandy to untold suffering by sexually harassing her and ended shooting him severally in the head. As a result, the state of Nevada sentenced Troy to life in prison. He was taken to Utah State Prison shortly as part of prisoner exchange program. While at Utah State Prison, Troy and his friend Eric murdered Lonnie Blackmon, a black inmate. Troy, Eric, and Sandy exhibit behaviors that require further analysis in order to better explain their actions. Psychological analysis can be used to explain the reasons behind Sandra requesting her friend to punish Kelly and Troy and Eric attacking and killing their fellow black inmate.
Sandy suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Having been a victim of constant sexual harassment, Sandy has grown fearful, anxious, and lonely. She also avoids situations that remind her of the trauma. For instance, she declines to accompany Troy to see the corpse of Kelly back in the wild. This means that looking at Kelly would bring back the traumatic memories of sexual harassment.
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Troy and Eric suffer from depression. The harsh prison environment, coupled with the limited resources pushed them into believing that the black prisoner was to blame for the predicament. As strong white supremacists, Troy and Eric were overwhelmed by anger and hate, leading to them murdering their fellow inmate. It is important to realize that prisoners have to fight for the scarce resources shared by prisoners. The harsh conditions in the prison facility cause anxiety, leading to depression.
Sandy’s case is interesting given the environment she grew in. There several risk factors that she experienced that may have contributed to her psychological condition. For instance, Sandy was a young woman at the time she was subjected to sexual harassment by Kelly. This meant that she was helpless and had to seek the help of her friend Troy. A sense of helplessness may lead to anxiety. Anxiety often leads to depression, including PTSD. Another important risk factor that Sandy faced was the fact that there were no stalking laws in place during the time Kelly was stalking her for sex. The lack of stalking laws meant that Kelly was at liberty to continue harassing her. As such, she was constantly aware that Kelly would stalk her for sex anytime without any deterrence. There was a constant threat of sexual harassment as she walked around. Indeed, Sandy went through immense psychological torture courtesy of Kelly’s incessant hassling and pestering. The presence of Kelly was, therefore, a major environmental risk factor that contributed to Sandy’s psychological condition.
Sandy also experienced a parental risk factor. Based on the documentary, Sandy was raised by a single mother. The fact that she had no father encouraged Kelly to be aggressive in his constant stalking for sex. The presence of an adult male would have been a deterrence enough to keep Kelly at bay. He knew that Sandy’s mother would not fight him, given that there were no laws criminalizing sexual stalking.
Reference
Levin, M. (Director). (2002). Gladiator Days: Anatomy of a Prison Murder. United States, HBO.
