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 Canada, the process of solitary confinement has been abolished since November 2019 but there have been many instances where solitary confinement is still used to an extent. Solitary confinement has been investigated many times and the findings show …show more content…
In addition, many studies have found a correlation between solitary confinement and psychological problems such as mental/physical health breakdowns, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and aggression, to name a few (Reiter). These psychological problems can cause many problems, especially when interacting with others and returning to the real world. Many of these problems stay with the inmates throughout their life, which can result in them having serious mental health problems and possibly reoffending. A study conducted by Jahn, Bardele, Simes, and Western, stated that men are more susceptible to mental health problems when being placed in solitary confinement with an emphasis on minorities. In another study conducted by Luigi, Dellazizzo, Guiguere, Goulet, and Dumais, they touch on the research that psychological problems have a direct relation with solitary confinement and that the prison systems sometimes put inmates with pre-existing psychological conditions in solitary confinement which ultimately results in it worsening, making it harder for the inmate to cope and …show more content…
(Cloud, Drucker, Brown, Parsons).” Along with that, they are denied essential rights such as access to sunlight which can cause them to be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals which in return increases their anger, anxiety, and mental and physical breakdowns. By reflecting on this, many critics of solitary confinement believe, it disables their ability to rehabilitate, learn from their mistakes, and educate themselves and is only digging themselves a deeper hole. Although the issues revolving around the psychological impact of solitary confinement have been a topic of discussion in the past few years, there is still a lot of blank space that still needs to be researched. In this research proposal, I will be analyzing qualitative and quantitative methods of research and studying research involving the psychological effects of solitary confinement. There is still a large plethora of information to be explored regarding this

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