Solitary confinement of prisoners exists under a range of names; isolation, control units, supermax prisons, the hole, SHUs, administrative segregation, maximum security or permanent lockdown.
Prisoners can be placed in these units for many reasons; as punishment, while they are under investigation, as a mechanism for behavior modification, when suspected of gang involvement, as retribution for political activism or to fill expensive, empty beds, to name but a few.
At other facilities, inmates are placed in “disciplinary segregation” because they have allegedly violated prison rules, which in some cases simply means that they have talked back to a prison guard; or “administrative segregation” because they are mentally ill, they need protection from other prisoners, or they have information on disruptive incidents that are set for hearing.
In 1998, the BJS reported there were an estimated 283,000 prison and jail inmates who suffered from mental health problems. That number is now estimated to be 1.25 million. The rate of reported mental health disorders in the state prison population is five times greater (56.2 percent) than in the general adult population (11 percent).
One in five state prisoners with mental health problems has been injured in a fight in prison, compared to one in 10 of those without.
Though it is undoubtedly necessary for some inmates to be placed in solitary confinement to protect the safety of prison officials and other inmates, the policy is flawed in that it leaves prisoners undeserving of such punishment in solitary confinement for years.
In theory, solitary confinement is for the worst of the worst prisoners—those who cause serious, usually violent, disruptions in the general prison population.
Extreme isolation has long been recognized as a punishment that inflicts irrevocable harm upon one’s mental state.
Work Cited
American Friends Service Committee. (2003, March). Solitary Confinement Facts. Retrieved from http://afsc.org
Human Rights Watch. (September 6, 2006). U.S.: Number of Mentally Ill in Prison Quadrupled. Retrieved from http:// www.hrw.org
Katel, Peter. “Solitary Confinement: Is long-term Isolation of Prisoners Inhumane?” CQ Researcher. 14 Sept. 2012, 22:32. CQ Researcher. Web. 23 November 2012.
Prison Fellowship. (June, 4 2006). Solitary Confinement. Retrieved from http:// www.justicefellowship.org
Schuessler, Jennifer. "In Solitary, With Insects as Cellmates." New York Times 19 Nov. 2012: 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 November 2012.
- Solitary confinement of prisoners occurs under an array of names; isolation, control units, super-max prisons, the hole, administrative segregation, maximum security or permanent lockdown (American).
Prisoners can be placed in these units for many reasons; as punishment, while they are under investigation, as a mechanism for behavior modification, when suspected of gang involvement, as retribution for political activism or to fill expensive, empty beds, to name but a few.
- Inmates are placed in these isolation units for many reasons; as punishment, while they are under investigation, as a mechanism for behavior modification, when suspected of gang involvement, or as retribution for political activism (American).
At other facilities, inmates are placed in “disciplinary segregation” because they have allegedly violated prison rules, which in some cases simply means that they have talked back to a prison guard; or “administrative segregation” because they are mentally ill, they need protection from other prisoners, or they have information on disruptive incidents that are set for hearing.
- Other inmates are placed on “administrative segregation” because they are mentally ill, they need protection from other prisoners (Justice Fellowship).
In 1998, the BJS reported there were an estimated 283,000 prison and jail inmates who suffered from mental health problems. That number is now estimated to be 1.25 million. The rate of reported mental health disorders in the state prison population is five times greater (56.2 percent) than in the general adult population (11 percent).
- In 1998, the BJS reported there were an estimated 283,000 prison and jail inmates who suffered from mental health problems; that number is now estimated to be 1.25 million (Human).
One in five state prisoners with mental health problems has been injured in a fight in prison, compared to one in 10 of those without.
- One in five state prisoners with mental health problems has been injured in a fight in prison, compared to one in 10 of those without (Human).
Though it is undoubtedly necessary for some inmates to be placed in solitary confinement to protect the safety of prison officials and other inmates, the policy is flawed in that it leaves prisoners undeserving of such punishment in solitary confinement for years.
- It is undoubtedly necessary for some prisoners to be retained in solitary confinement to protect the safety of prison officials and other inmates (Katel).
In theory, solitary confinement is for the worst of the worst prisoners—those who cause serious, usually violent, disruptions in the general prison population.
- Solitary confinement is for the worst of the worst prisoners (Justice Fellowship).
Extreme isolation has long been recognized as a punishment that inflicts irrevocable harm upon one’s mental state.
- Extreme isolation has long been recognized as a punishment that inflicts irreversible harm upon one’s mental status (Schuessler).
Work Cited
American Friends Service Committee. (2003, March). Solitary Confinement Facts. Retrieved from http://afsc.org
Human Rights Watch. (September 6, 2006). U.S.: Number of Mentally Ill in Prison Quadrupled. Retrieved from http:// www.hrw.org
Katel, Peter. “Solitary Confinement: Is long-term Isolation of Prisoners Inhumane?” CQ Researcher. 14 Sept. 2012, 22:32. CQ Researcher. Web. 23 November 2012.
Prison Fellowship. (June, 4 2006). Solitary Confinement. Retrieved from http:// www.justicefellowship.org
Schuessler, Jennifer. "In Solitary, With Insects as Cellmates." New York Times 19 Nov. 2012: 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 November 2012.