Prison Path
Solitary Confinement
The United States is number one for the most inmates ( 80,000 inmates) held in solitary confinement ( also called segregation). The use of solitary confinement was stopped in the late 19th century in the United States because it was viewed as barbaric. During the massive increase of inmates during the 1980’s and 1990’s, prisons prisons started using solitary confinement with the illusory hope of reducing prison violence.
Prisoners in isolation are confined to small cells, six feet by nine feet, without windows, and with little to no access to the outside world for many months and even years. Inmates are confined to these cells for 23 hours a day. Extreme isolation has serious psychological effects on inmates who will eventually be released to their community. According to several state reports, fifty percent of prison suicides occur in solitary confinement.
Numerous studies have shown that solitary confinement does not reduce prison-jail violence. The use of excessive solitary confinement has a disastrous effect on all inmates, but especially inmates with mental illnesses. In 2016, President Obama acknowledged that inmates in segregation were more likely to commit suicide.
In 2015, the Association of State Correctional Administrators issued a report stating that prolonged isolation of inmates is– “a grave problem in the United States.”Various states have finally realized the gravity of this punishment and have made changes in their use of solitary confinement.
Pennsylvania’s policy with respect to serious mentally ill inmates in solitary confinement changed in 2015 as a result of a settlement between the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania. Many of the Pennsylvania inmates had been placed in solitary confinement for behavioral issues which were caused by their severe mental illnesses.
Pennsylvania inmates had been confined to a minimum of twenty three hours a day in isolated cells. The solitary confinement would often aggravate and intensify the mental diseases. Inmates considered dangerous to staff and other inmates will now have a minimum of twenty hours a week outside of their cells under strict supervision.
Colorado, Mississippi and Washington have also made major changes regarding their use of long-term solitary confinement.
It is common sense that inmates who have violated minor rules or who are found with drugs should not be placed in solitary confinement. Addicted inmates need drug programs and not additional punishment.
Gary Mohr, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction stated that inmates sentenced to solitary confinement should be inmates, “we’re afraid of, not mad at.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky: “You can judge a society by how well it treats its prisoners”.
By: Bradley Schwartz
Founder of prisonpath.com
Cornell–You must have solitary confinement for those prisoners who show they are a treat to other prisoners and staff if they unable to be managed in general population.
I do not have a disagreement with the use of solitary confinement for a dangerous inmate, however, it is often used as a punishment for non-dangerous offenses. This is why we have the most inmates in solitary in the world–80,000.
By: Bradley Schwartz
The article and it’s conclusions are all over the place. Why? Prison Path where this appeared is a feel good prisoner rights advocate. I have no problem with that but it needs to be out in the open for all to sensibly judge the merits of this article. I do agree that long term solitary can have an unwanted affect on the inmate. But an inmate that smuggles drugs or breaks other rules or laws while incarcerated as the article talks about needs punishment. And that is solitary in measured periods based upon a predetermined set of guidelines. President Obama… Read more »
Gene, the problem lies with excessive periods of solitary confinement in some prisons for behavior or action that does not merit the punishment.
By–Brad
Bradley, I’ll agree with that statement. Especially when you use the word excessive. I have already stated I disagree with the excessive use of solitary. With that said, “measured” periods are fine and needed to control behavior.
By–Gene
What about those in protective custody? Will eliminating this deter people from saying something against another that may keep the facility, it’s staff and other inmates safe? The state in which I live has removed this area in the process of eliminating solitary confinement.
by–Christopher
Solitary Confinement could be cruel and barbaric. But in the prison system there is a need to separate certain classifications of inmate. Those the need protective custody because of their crimes, because they are gang dropouts or because they are ex-law enforcement. Those classifications have to be kept from general population for safety. But, the biggest problem is classifying and housing those inmates who are mentally ill. Mentally ill inmates should not be housed in a prison or jail. They should be in a facility that can care for their condition and provide the trained staff and medical personnel they… Read more »
This all comes down to common sense. I analogize solitary confinement with the death penalty. In that only if an inmate is violent and poses a threat to other inmates and staff should be placed in solitary confinement. An example being that if an inmate has a severe mental illness, but is not violent then the inmate does not qualify for solitary confinement.
By–Stephen