12 Mr. Fermín Ramírez has been submitted to intense conditions of chronic stress, with which moral panic is associated (extended demoralization and sensation of chronic helplessness), anxiety and repressed fear, consequences of the prolonged stay in death row in the maximum security prisons where he has been held. Likewise, the alleged victim presents a rigidly defensive emotional system, he makes efforts to deny and rationalize his experiences of fear and suffers of anxiety due to the constant threats upon him in death row. On the other hand, Mr. Ramírez expressed that he wishes to forget the existence of his children, because he believes he will never see them again. However, he mentioned that if the death penalty were revoked he would try to rebuild his life and establish contact with his children. Mr. Kepfer diagnosed that Mr. Fermín Ramírez suffered from chronic situational disorder (chronic stress syndrome), with somatoform nature (psychologically conditioned somatizations). He also suffers of a personality disorder of a mixed nature, with impulsive/ aggressive characters and addictive tendencies (use of alcohol), even though since he was admitted into prison he has stopped drinking. However, the expert ruled out that Mr. Ramírez suffered a psychotic disorder or loss of contact with reality. Mr. Ramírez suffers severe gastrointestinal problems, difficulty to sleep regularly, nervousness, constant alarming sensation, and need to anxiously watch over his surroundings. However, he is not given adequate medical or psychiatric assistance, which causes him a chronic mental torture. Mrs. Ana Lucrecia Sis and her children have suffered stigmatization due to the publicity given to Mr. Ramírez’s case. Mrs. Fermín Ricardo stated that Fermín Ricardo, her eldest son, died 4 years ago because “his loved his father a lot” and expressed that her “son would not have died if it weren’t for what happened to his father.” The three eldest children of Mr. Ramírez and Mrs. Sis have developed academic problems. Mr. Fermín Ramírez’s children are not willing to visit him. The family suffers emotional disorders and disturbances that have not been properly dealt with, in what refers to social support and psychotherapeutical assistance. The chronic deterioration of the socio-familiar situation of both the children and the mother is evident and has brought on, as a consequence, a feeling of rejection, isolation, rage, and confusion. The fact that the children are not willing to visit their father has a very negative impact on the mental health, not only of Mr. Ramírez, but also his family, thus having a disturbing and demoralizing effect. Currently there are situations of confusion and ambivalence towards the father figure, which have a negative impact on the family’s mental health. On the other hand, Mr. Kepfer Rodríguez made reference to the incarceration conditions experimented by Mr. Fermín Ramírez. The expert pointed out that the subject has insisted that the most oppressive thing for him is the obligatory lack of activity and the lack of resources and materials with which he could make some kind of craft, neither of which are supplied by the prison or his family.

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