Solitary Confinement

The Use of Solitary Confinement on Juveniles and Adults
Solitary Confinement is the practice of isolating an inmate for hours or years at a time, while cutting the person off from all human contact, and the outside world. It is a practice that has been used intermittently for the past 200 years. Today’s version of solitary confinement revolves around modern high tech isolation cells that cuts an inmate off from all human contact for varying lengths of time. All cells are designed to look the same, with little to no creature comforts, and little to no access to self-improvement programs to escape the monotony of isolation. Studies have shown that solitary confinement causes several negative effects in adults and juveniles alike. Although, …show more content…
Reform and self-improvement programs are often denied to solitary confinement inmates, causing high recidivism rates. It is for this reason that the use of long periods of solitary confinement on juveniles and adults should be abolished because it is damaging to the psyche and negatively impacts reintegration efforts upon release.
The practice of solitary confinement has an extensive, yet irregular history dating back almost 200 years ago. The idea of solitary confinement was brought forth by the Quakers, who wished to get rid of the cruel use of corporal punishment. Their idea involved segregating the prisoners from each other and the outside world, while focusing on strict silence, bible study, and religious teachings. It was the Quakers belief that crime was an infectious disease and could be cured through solitude, personal reflection, and religious education. It was their hope that the criminal would see the error of their ways and be transformed into law abiding citizens. The practice quickly took hold despite a lack of evidence that prisoners were actually being reformed and spread to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Several prominent 19th century thinkers whole heartedly believed …show more content…
These prisons are today’s modern, high tech versions of the Quaker’s silent prisons. These prisons were built in addition to isolation units that were already in existence at regular prisons and jails. The only difference is that the supermax is designed for the long term confinement of prisoners during their sentence. At most supermax prisons, inmates are isolated for 23 hours a day, with one hour outside of their cell for exercise or shower. In other systems inmates receive five hours a week outside of their cell. In regular prisons and jails, inmates do not have a specified time in solitary confinement, as they can be placed in confinement whenever it is deemed necessary. It is not uncommon for inmates to spend large amounts of continuous time in solitary. There are at least 19 states, as well as in federal prison system, that allow inmates to be placed in solitary confinement indefinitely. No matter where the inmate is housed, solitary confinement cells include only the bare essentials, i.e. a cot, toilet, and a sink. Some facilities might have a very narrow slit window or a small desk bolted to the ground. The cells usually have bright fluorescent lights that are sometimes left on at all times disrupting the inmates sense of time and sleep schedules. With today’s modern facilities an inmate can go years without interacting with

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