How Did Pennhurst Dehumanize Its Environment

Pennhurst's horrific environment dehumanized its residents to the point of losing behavioral skills they had previously learned outside of Pennhurst. The environment was not kept clean as observations of feces and roaches spread among the floor were recorded. The bathrooms were filthy, and noise levels in the day rooms were so high that some residents restored to complete silence. Bill Baldini described how his own news crew were getting sick from what they saw. Their reports showed images of nude, emaciated residents, either curled up into balls or rocking back and forth. He even mentions how some children were kept in metal cages lying in their own feces (Visionary Voices). Another harmful aspect of Pennhurst’s environment included the abuse

some residents experienced with each other as instances ranged from violent fights, to losing body parts, to even death. Two examples of this hostile environment can be shown through different reports filed in January of 1975. During the first incident, a patient had bitten off three-quarters of another resident’s outer ear while they were asleep. Another incident included one resident who had pushed a second off a staircase resulting in their death (Pennhurst Memorial). In addition to the abuse from other patients, the residents faced mistreatment from the staff as some were raped, hit, or suffered further physical harm. In 1976, one resident was thrown several feet across a room by a staff person, and another was hit by a staff person with a shackle belt (Pennhurst Memorial). In conclusion, the insanitary conditions and abuse from residents and staff in Pennhurst’s environment initially hurt the growth of the patients rather than assist them.