“I knew I was unwell, but not a criminal,” says Samat Nyuk, a patient recovering from a mental health condition in Malakal, South Sudan. “I needed support, not punishment. What hurt the most was that my own family chose prison for me instead of treatment.”

Samat was sent to prison by his family when traditional herbs and remedies failed to calm the turmoil in his mind. At the onset of his illness, he experienced vivid and terrifying visions.

“I felt like I was crossing a river where the water reached my neck, and I saw fingers pointing at me while voices urged me to drown,” he shares.

A friend, noticing Samat’s distress, sought traditional remedies. A local elder gave him an herbal root that brought a momentary reprieve. Concerned for both his son’s safety and their family’s well-being, Samat’s father, Nyuk, asked the local authorities to detain his son or find him help. Samat was restrained in June 2025 and taken to Malakal Central Prison, where he was placed in a small cell in the prison’s isolated section for those suffering from mental illness.