Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Words: 775

Pages: 4

Open Document

Solitary Confinement in Prisons

The history of solitary confinement in the United States stretches from prisons from 200 years ago to today's supermax prisons that have isolated tens of thousands for decades. Dr. Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, and several Quaker leaders first instituted solitary confinement at Walnut Street jail in Philadelphia in the late 18th century, believing that forms of punishment such as silence and total isolation would lead to penitentiary. The living conditions of the solitary confinement cells and the population characteristics are poor. Public health agencies have become part of the growing movement for change. They have an ethical obligation to help address the excessive use of solitary confinement in jails …show more content…
With this being said, the United States leads the world in its use of solitary confinement. People in solitary confinement can be isolated for months to years at a time, only being allowed a 10-minute break for a shower or a quick exercise period. Solitary confinement affects prisoners and up to 20,000 others, working as correctional staff or providing mental health services or similar services. Those who are in solitary confinement are locked in a cell the size of a mall parking space. These prisoners are confined 23 hours a day with no human contact or interaction other than when they have strip searches and then their hands are chained to their feet. These prisoners eat, sleep, meditate, study, and exercise not far from where they use the restroom. Nearly one in five prisoners, about 400,000 individuals experienced solitary confinement during 2011 and 2012. Solitary confinement is not a legal sentence for most places, but is used by the choice of the correctional staff. Solitary confinement is often used as a punishment for prisoners who did not follow the rules, protective custody, or for those who pose a threat. Generally, isolated prisoners are allowed

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

The research proposal conducted will help analyze and hopefully help understand solitary confinement as it relates to mental illness in male inmates. The discussions, observations, and findings from peer reviews within the topic of solitary confinement possibly leading to mental illness will be introduced. This information will consist of elements of the criminal justice system, prisons, mental illness, behavior observations and evidence found within these reviews on how solitary confinement may…

Words 1289 - Pages 6

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

prison are suicides in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is when an inmate is kept alone in a tiny cell for days and even up to months. Private prisons are prisons run by private companies and are allowed to have a different rule set than normal federal prisons. These statistics show that prisons are not as safe as they should be and that they do not reform as many inmates as they should. Prisons need to be reformed because of their lack of safety,…

Words 1095 - Pages 5

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Solitary confinement is proven to have more negative outcomes than positive, so it must be terminated. A panel of scientists that previously spoke at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting mentioned, “Research tells us that solitary is both ineffective as a rehabilitation technique and indelibly harmful to the mental health of those detained” (Stromberg). Although solitary confinement is a tremendously rare and extreme practice, many people are sentenced to indefinite…

Words 232 - Pages 1

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Have you ever been intensely lonely, scared, and hopeless? People put in solitary confinement will often have negative mental health effects that can lead to physical problems. Solitary confinement can be recognized as cruel and unjust. It can have long lasting effects and many risks to the person being confined by deteriorating their health, stripping them of their liberties, and leaving inmates socially disabled.In the article “Surgeon General: We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That…

Words 444 - Pages 2

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Prolonged solitary confinement is an issue that is repeatedly brought up within the criminal justice system and causes many health and psychological problems for inmates. Solitary confinement is the act of isolating an inmate in a cell for extended periods, which can range from hours to days. Generally, inmates who are kept in solitary confinement spend 22-24 hours a day locked in a cell by themselves. The conditions of solitary confinement vary based on prisons, systems, countries, and areas. In…

Words 669 - Pages 3

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Solitary confinement is a cruel and unjust act of punishment for any person. Studies have found that there are many psychological effects after this intense isolation. Upon observing these inmates, "a majority of those surveyed experienced symptoms such as dizziness, heart palpitations, chronic depression, while 41 percent reported hallucinations, and 27 percent had suicidal thoughts—all levels significantly higher than those of the overall prison population' (Stromberg). The aftermath of solitary…

Words 247 - Pages 1

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Chase Hyatt March 15, 2024 Mrs Nelson ELA Solitary Confinement. During my time in solitary confinement, I’ve slowly been going crazy. Having nobody to talk to and think to myself has been driving me in circles. I get trays of food three times a day for my meals and after that it’s nothing. I’ve been stuck in a small room for almost 6 weeks. I've lost count of the days. I have nothing to do and have to sit with myself and think all day long. I tried to mark the wall with a fork that I kept from lunch…

Words 578 - Pages 3

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

In the late eighteenth century, solitary confinement was invented. Since then, we have seen various opinions on solitary confinement. In 2009, 42 states would either restrict or eliminate solitary confinement as a whole. There is no doubt about the effects solitary confinement has on a person, and it should never be an option, at least not for long periods. The effects of solitary confinement have been proven to be detrimental. The effects of solitary confinement can vary from anxiety to hallucinations…

Words 258 - Pages 2

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

How effective is Solitary Confinement ? For those of us who have siblings, or children, think about how it would feel to know that your loved one is placed in a 60 or 70 square foot room. They remain in their cells for approximately twenty hours out of the twenty-four hours in a day. The purpose of that is to supposedly serve as a punishment for the juveniles. However, instead of serving as a punishment it is damaging these youngsters both emotionally and psychologically. The Juvenile Detention…

Words 1208 - Pages 5

Solitary Confinement Research Paper

Prolonged solitary confinement has been proven to lead to mental issues of prisoners, however, that does not mean it should be a banned form of punishment. Some people strongly believe that the increase in psychiatric problems is reason enough to stop using solitary confinement. Melanie Sue is graduate with a bachelor’s in communication & media studies with a minor in sociology and gender studies. She strongly believes that solitary confinement is unethical, and is an expensive torture that is…

Words 463 - Pages 2