Joe's Journey: Joseph Soukup vs. The State of Nebraska

By Rebecca Schmieding Shacklett Joesph Soukup

Joseph Soukup is an unlikely hero in the narrative of Nebraska's mental health treatment history. Joe, illegally held for four years in the Lincoln State Hospital (now the Lincoln Regional Center) and kept at various other state-related institutions for over eight years, now lives independently on a trust fund established by the Nebraska Unicameral in 1981. Subjected to shock treatment, experimental LSD injections, and the humiliation of being labeled mentally and morally deficient, Joe as an adult has changed considerably from the child initially sent to "reform school" at age ten'??though we will never know how different he is, since most of his medical records have been lost by the State of Nebraska and the institutions responsible for his care. Using direct quotes from medical and legislative records and other public documents, as well as interviews with Joe himself, Joe's Journey explores Joe's early history, the scope of his institutional stays, his landmark fight for justice, and his life as he lives it today. Author Rebecca Schmieding Shacklett is a registered nurse who holds a masters in education and a masters in forensic science. She worked at the Lincoln Regional Center from 1969 through 1974. Author Dawna Prietauer is an associate of applied science graduate of the Human Services Program at Southeast Community College, Lincoln, Nebraska. She is a Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor and a Provisional Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971867763
• ISBN13: 9780971867765
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Infusionmedia Publishing
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"