Confinement In Prison

Solitary confinement is a mandated arrangement set up by courts or prisons which seek to punish inmates by the use of isolated confinement. Specifically, solitary confinement can be defined as confinement in which inmates that are held in a single cell for up to twenty-three hours a day without any contact with the exception of prison staff (Shalev, 2011). There are several other terms which refer to solitary confinement such as, administrative segregation, supermax facilities (this is due to the fact that supermax facilities only have solitary confinement), the hotbox, the hole, and the security housing unit (SHU). Solitary confinement is a place where most inmates would prefer not to go.

Solitary Confinement has been used as a punishment, to keep the prisons secure. However, with the changing of opinions from a few decades ago, to present time, more people want less solitary confinement used. With also corrections policies changing over time has also changed the dynamic of how a younger person could be charged and sentenced, compared to an older person who is not a juvenile could be put into solitary confinement. More facts about the use of Solitary Confinement, the policy is up for debate. Starting with do I agree with the New York Times, The Living Death of Solitary Confinement?

Solitary Confinement has become an issue in the United States Prisons. Inmates can be placed in solitary confinement not only for violent acts, but also for acts such as possessing contraband, using drugs, ignoring orders or using profanity. Most inmates in solitary confinement are placed in isolated cells for 23 hours per day. Many of these cells are illuminated only be artificial light and offer no exposure to natural daylight.

New Life Prison is a private prison located in an unincorporated area of Brentwood, CA New Life prison is a dormitory setting and a minimum security prison for level one and two male inmate population of 500. New Life Prison is too focused on lowering the recidivism rate in CA. New Life prison is a new private prison and receives funding from grants and donations. New Life mission is to focus on the level one and two inmate’s within the state prison system. New Life mission is to help these individuals move on passed the crime they have committed and began to live their life again. In 2004 Folsom state prison was able to move their level one and two inmates to a minimum security facility (Department of Correction 2015). Most of these inmates

Throughout history crime has always presented itself as well as punishment for these crimes. In time there have been several ways to physically, emotionally, and psychologically punish a human being. However, being a part of the Guantanamo Bay era the increasing use of solitary confinement has offered itself to be one of the best ways to reprimand criminals as well as hostages. A troubling movement in the American prison system is the escalating use of sustained and consistent forms of cruel solitary confinement also known as supermax prisons which are used to confine prisoners that the government labels as dangerous. A documentary film, as well as several informative resources, will be used to uncover the truths behind this form of punishment.

“Closed in a room my imagination becomes the universe and the rest of the world in missing out”. Solitary Confinement has been dated back to the 19th century and had been researched by a variety of scholars and academics. In 1818 a New York reformer Thomas Eddy and a friend lobbied for inmate labor and solitary confinement in place of other forms of punishment such as hanging. Soon after New York decided to include solitary confinement and inmate labor into their penal system. Mental instability has been then linked to solitary confinement since as far back as the 1860s. It has been put in place for criminals, who put themselves and others in danger or the risk of hurting someone else or themselves. Prisoners who are put in solitary confinement

A teenage boy named Kalief Browder was blamed for stealing a backpack, began awaiting trial at a prison, and was placed in and out of solitary confinement for two years. Four years later, while completing college, Browder killed himself (Obama). The majority of people believe that solitary confinement has harmful effects, such as suicide in Kalief Browder’s case. The controversy of solitary confinement used as a form of punishment has been around long before Browder’s events. Opponents use negative reactions and studies for their position, while supporters say that there are positives to solitary confinement, including keeping the public safe, and an improvement in the mental state of those put inside.

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world with over 2.4 million people in jail (American Friends Service Committee). A census taken in 2005 discovered that out of those 2.4 million prisoners behind bars, 81,622 of them were being held in solitary confinement (Casella and Ridgeway). In that same 2005 census, it was gathered that 44 states use solitary confinement in their prisons (Casella and Ridgeway). Eleven years later one can only image how these numbers have changed, and most likely grown. As defined by Solitary Watch, “Solitary confinement is the practice of isolating people in closed cells for 22-24 hours a day, virtually free of human contact, for periods of time ranging from days to decades.” Solitary confinement

For years the controversy over whether solitary confinement is considered torture or not have been a big issue. Solitary confinement is when prisoners are locked in a room with usually no windows, no bigger than a parking space, denied showers, phone calls, visitations and clean clothing (Washington Post). More than 80,000 men, women, and children are in solitary not including jails, juvenile facilities and immigrant detention centers (AFSC). Obama was the very first president to visit a federal prison and has come out and phased the question, “we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, sometimes for months or even years at a time” (Goode). Many people go into solitary for multiple reasons.

Confinement Isn’t Punishment; It's Torture” by Jasmine Heiss, states “...sits alone in a cell smaller than the average parking space. Unless it’s one of the three days that he gets to stretch his legs in the prison yard...he is caged in these conditions for 24 hours a day.” An inmate in solitary confinement conditions is misery. To add on, 80,000 inmates are held in solitary confinement, so many people are going through similar

This article discusses the issues about the use of restraints toward the inmates in the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg Pennsylvania. The article goes on into the story of Sebastian Richardson and how refused to have a cell mate that he saw as threating and potently dangerous based on his nickname “Bam Bam” and “The Prophet”. The two would have had to share a cell no larger than a parking space says the article. Richardson refused to accept “The Prophet” as a new call mate, and then was taken out of his cell thirty minutes later was taken to the laundry room and stripped and put in paper clothes and shackles. Richardson also, stated that one of the guards left a window open while he was restrained to freeze him on purpose, and also that

Solitary confinement in prisons is unethical because it not only has adverse side effects on the mental state of those confined, but it lessens their chances at reformation and is essentially a form of torture. Economically, it doesn’t make sense. It also damages the psyche of the inmates and in doing so reinforces the cycle that keeps people in prison.

Since the early 1800s, the United States has relied on a method of punishment barely known to any other country, solitary confinement (Cole). Despite this method once being thought of as the breakthrough in the prison system, history has proved differently. Solitary confinement was once used in a short period of time to fix a prisoners behavior, but is now used as a long term method that shows to prove absolutely nothing. Spending 22-24 hours a day in a small room containing practically nothing has proved to fix nothing in a person except further insanity. One cannot rid himself of insanity in a room that causes them to go insane. Solitary confinement is a flawed and unnecessary method of punishment that should be prohibited in the prison

Solitary confinement isn’t all it’s made out to be. Altho it is a punishment it’s a humane way of inmates serving out their time. Solitary confinement isn’t at all what people say it is, it teaches prisoners to behave, and it proves to be a safe environment for the inmates through a place called the ‘blue room’.

First and far most what is considered proper living conditions for a criminal. Yes, I believe they should have a sanitary establishment where they could sleep, eat, and shower, that is least we could provide for anyone. I do not think taking away privileges from any confinement facility will promote less repeat offenders. Instead of taking away we should be trying to help the individuals who can be rehabilitated, with programs that can teach them how stay on the right track, help them get a job, and provide for themselves. I know that everyone is not able to recover but if we gave those men and women who are willing to learn these tools then we would see less repeat offenders. Prison should not just be a place of confinement, it's where these