The Importance Of Solitary 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.

In article 5 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it states that, “[n]o one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” It states this, yet there are humans kept in cells smaller than the average size of a queen bed (Chan). How is this not considered an inhuman or degrading punishment? While the wellbeing of prisoners can be easily overlooked, that does not mean it is not an important issue. It is unhealthy for prisoners to be kept in solitary confinement for a prolonged period of time because it is bad for their mental health, discriminates against certain groups, and it is expensive.

Solitary confinement is a penitentiary punishment developed in which each inmate is held in isolation from other inmates or any human contact, with the exception of correctional staff. Solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is usually twenty-two to twenty-four hours a day, with a sentence extending from days to years. This form of incarceration is used as a form of punishment for the inmate, commonly for violation of correctional rules. There has been some debate to wheatear solitary confinement should be accepted as an adequate form of punishment. Society views solitary confinement as a form of cruelty, while others see it as a form of safety for other inmate with in the correctional facility. Solitary confinement is an acceptable form of punishment.

When Jacki Murillo entered the juvenile justice system at age 12 she was placed in the innocuously named SHU. SHU, or secure housing unit, is the clever name for solitary confinement. It’s clever because we’re starting to reach a place in our society where we recognize the dangers and inhumanity of solitary confinement, especially for juveniles. However, there is no difference between SHU and solitary confinement. In a SHU, juveniles usually spend 23 hours in a cell. There are two kinds of solitary confinement: administrative and punitive. For example, Jacki was placed in solitary confinement for administrative reasons because California law called for all children under 14 to be removed from and protected from general population. Solitary confinement can also be a punishment. Kalief Browder famously spent 800 days in solitary confinement, mostly as punishment for various infractions. Solitary confinement is not rare for juveniles. Over 33% of juveniles reported spending time in solitary and more than half of those kids reported spending over 24 consecutive hours in solitary.

The concern of the effects solitary confinement has on those who experience it has also called up the opinions of religious figures. Pope Francis condemned solitary confinement and all capital punishment sometime in October 2014. Roughly translated by Jean Casella on solitarywatch.com the Pope said, “One form of torture is sometimes applied by imprisonment in maximum security prisons. With the motive of providing greater security to the community or special treatment for certain categories of prisoners, its main feature is none other than the isolation. As demonstrated by studies carried out by different human rights bodies, the lack of sensory stimuli, the complete lack of communication and the lack of contact with other human beings, causes

Solitary confinement for juveniles has been a common problem for several years. Growing up in solitary confinement as a juvenile, prison life is the only life they will know. They will not know how to act in the real world. They will get sent right back to jail over and over again. The kids adapt to the prison lifestyle. They will start to lose their mind in jail if they are in there too long. Solitary confinement should be banned for juveniles because it has the potential to negatively impact one’s mind, which can be detrimental on the brain, which is not yet fully developed.

Over the years there have been discussions about whether or not the use of solitary confinement is violating the 8th amendment and is actually making an individual worse overall mentally. Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which an inmate is isolated from any human contact, often with the exception of members of prison staff, for 22–24 hours a day, with a sentence ranging from days to decades (Solitary confinement facts, 2018). If an individual is placed in a solitary confinement cell, their rights of visitation, books, and others are very limited. The reason that the use of solitary confinement is considered a violation of the 8th amendment is that some people believe that solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment

It was in a brainstorming situation that I discovered the topic of discussion I wanted to hear a convincing opposition against. I knew that choosing something more controversial would garner a greater opposition, but at the same time, I wanted to avoid topics that seemed almost too commonplace in assignments like this. With that in mind, I decided to hear out the opposition against my view of the inhumanity of solitary confinement. The person with whom I discussed, who will be referred to as Person X for the purposes of this write-up, believed that in certain situations, solitary confinement was a just punishment. We had this discussion waiting for our Microbiology class to begin. Bringing up random topics of discussion is not something unusual within the scope of my character, and so rather than wait for an opportunity that would not present itself, I simply asked Person X for his/her opinion on solitary confinement as a justified punishment for convicted criminals. To give the discussion some direction and so that I could better understand Person X’s point of view I asked some questions. The two most important I found being: “Why do you feel that it’s okay to punish people like that in some cases but not in others?” and “How long is too long?”. I found these questions particularly helpful in understanding Person X’s position because I noticed that he/she didn’t completely agree with either one side. He/she was intent on making a point based on conditionality. Although I

You’re right! They would leave a bible in the cell for them to address their sins. How do you feel about solitary confinement? Would you consider that type of punishment unnecessary? A lot of people feel that solitary confinement is torture because it could affect the prisoner’s mental and physical health. To elaborate, solitary confinement can cause delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, sleeping issues etc. They spend 22 and half hours in a cell a day. In addition, prisoner’s that are already dealing with a mental illness have been sent into solitary confinement. In 2015, Texas held 2,000 prisoners in solitary confinement that were dealing with a mental illness. The worst part is even juveniles are held in solitary confinement, which has led

What happens when someone who is serving time for committing a mistake, commits another mistake? They end up in a prison within a prison; sometimes referred to as the “Box” or the “SHU” (Security Housing Unit), inmates find themselves in total isolation. Trapped within a 7-foot by 10-foot, concrete walled cell, prisoners count the scratches on the walls for hours at a time in an attempt to keep their sanity. They are stuck within the four walls for 23 consecutive hours at a time with only a bed, a toilet, a small desk and their thoughts to keep them company; the lack of any real stimulus slowly driving them insane. Solitary confinement has been used for centuries as a form of punishment for those who are already imprisoned as a consequence of breaking the law. Using surveys, experiments, and other research as

The focus of my paper is on the punishment method of solitary confinement used in prisons and how it comes to show the transition from punishing the body to the soul.

Imagine your child committed a crime, was tried as an adult and sent to an adult prison. The other inmates pick with and beat on him daily, so to keep him safe he is sent to solitary confinement, a small cell, alone with little to no attention or interaction with other humans. While in the cell he is slowly losing his mind and once released from prison he comes home differently. According to Hinds (2015), "They often aren't able to see their loved ones, are stripped of the very limited amount of control they have in prison, are left without human contact and sensory stimulation, and are often left in a state of limbo, unsure when they will be removed from solitary". Many people don't understand the effects solitary confinement can have on a person. Solitary confinement is supposed to be a punishment for acting up while in jail. However, a former inmate Elton Simpson (2015) states, "I think solitary confinement is mental

Prisons in today’s world has come a long way since prisons in the past, they still need some work done to create them to be in a better habitat to stay in for inmates, however they still are improving from when prisons use to be. Prisons or jails in the past were common with the basic tolerant of what punishment was described earlier. Previous prisons were much sever and also committed with the punishment process from days long past. As of today’s jails or prisons appear a slightly more comfortable. Within the past prisons appeared to be lonesome and depressed, for inmates who had to live there, and with no structure or directions to pursue. The total of people who have been locked up has obviously risen since then; the total of people being locked up started to rise in America in the 1970s. This trend in American people ending up in jail or prison is continually rising as the years go by. As of 1999 and 2000, the rate of offenders incarcerated in federal prisons has sky rocketed by nine percent” between” that time frame. Before around two million people resided in state and federal prisons. During the last two decades the number of offenders in prison, on probation, or on parole has majorly increased to over six million. In the early 19th century the development of penitentiaries started to come into effect as a means to control deviant behavior, but this idea ended up

October 2011, the United Nations called a meeting declaring solitary confinement as a form of torture, yet is seems that more and more prisons are are subjecting their inmates to the cruel and unethical punishment. Solitary Confinement is an ineffective form of punishment used all over North America. This form of isolation has negative impacts on the correctional system as it does not enforce rehabilitation, re-enforces fear and leads to abuse in power which targets minorities.

While in isolation, inmates access to supportive friends and family may be limited. Prisons have instituted mail policies prohibiting letters and magazine subscriptions, which could eliminate the inmate’s ability to communicate with and receive support from loved ones. Due to this limitation, isolation can increase inmate’s risk of mental health issues. Correctional officers and others don’t realize that support from loved ones can play a critical role in helping the inmates overcome mental challenges. Many prisons and jails rely on increasingly on isolation and segregation to control men and women in their custody. Solitary confinement fits the description of torture.