Arguments Against Solitary Confinement

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Solitary confinement should not be used as a punishment since it destroys the minds of those who submit to it. Thomas Silverstein spent thirty years in solitary confinement. He shares his story stating “Shortly after I arrived, the prison staff began construction, adding more bars and other security measures to the cell while I was within it.It is hard to describe the horror I experienced during this construction process. As they built new walls around me, it felt like I was being buried alive” (Qtd in Cassella and Ridgeway). Thomas’s mental and physical health were endangered for what some call fair punishment. It is not right to lower humans to a status lower than animals. Most inmates are not fairly thrown into solitary confinement, yet
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