WASHINGTON, D.C. — Solitary confinement, also known as “the hole,” “the box,” or “the cage,” isolates incarcerated people from the general prison population. The practice is unregulated, costly, and violates human rights, according to a Solitary Watch report.
According to Solitary Watch, people can be placed in cells as small as 9 by 6 feet. “Some survivors of solitary confinement report incessant fluorescent lighting that never turns off, day or night, while others say they live in total darkness,” the report noted.
The article states the Eighth Amendment protects against “cruel and unusual” punishment. Studies show that solitary confinement increases mental health diagnoses, which many argue is the basis for banning the practice.
People who experience solitary confinement suffer various side effects depending on their prior mental health, ability to cope with isolation, and mental state during confinement. Time loses meaning, days blur, and prolonged isolation often leads to hallucinations, according to Solitary Watch.
Albert Woodfox, a formerly incarcerated man accused of murdering a prison guard, spent four decades in solitary confinement in a Louisiana prison. He and two co-defendants were later found not guilty.
Amnesty International quoted Woodfox as saying, “If I dwelled on the pain I have endured and stopped to think about how 40 years locked in a cage 23 hours a day has affected me, it would give insanity the victory it has sought for 40 years.” He was retried three times before Louisiana authorities were barred from pursuing charges. Woodfox was released in 2015 after 43 years in isolation.
According to Solitary Watch, “Such practices have led to severe injuries, trauma, and even suicide.” Evidence shows that inflicting prolonged mental anguish constitutes “cruel and unusual” punishment.
Prison guards often use solitary confinement to punish and control incarcerated people. Those labeled disruptive or violent are frequently placed in isolation. Racial bias influences these decisions, with Black and Brown people confined more often than others, according to Solitary Watch.
The publication adds that “people of color who are already experiencing mental illness disproportionately suffer the psychological effects of solitary, such as anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, obsessive thoughts, paranoia, and psychosis.”
Solitary Watch reports that individuals who advocate for their rights may also be punished with solitary confinement, restricting access to basic services and violating their First Amendment rights.
According to the National Library of Medicine, there are no national regulations governing solitary confinement. “The policies and practices that govern solitary confinement are largely left to the discretion of single prison administrations of each state,” the agency said. The lack of regulation fosters abuse and neglect, especially in privatized supermax facilities.
Solitary Watch also reports that “solitary is often used to hold the most vulnerable women, including individuals with mental illness, transgender women, and victims of sexual assault by staff.” The lack of oversight allows abuse, both physical and sexual, by prison employees.
Correctional officers—not mental health professionals—determine how long a person spends in solitary confinement. Those without medical training make decisions affecting individuals’ psychological well-being.
“The practice is also far more expensive than other forms of incarceration, as well as alternatives to incarceration,” Solitary Watch stated. Supermax prisons cost taxpayers and local governments more due to staffing and operational demands.
“These requirements and restrictions lead to much higher prisoner-to-officer staffing ratios, thereby drastically increasing the cost of solitary confinement,” the report added. When officers lack resources, they resort to excessive force and intimidation, practices that contradict training and ethics.
According to Solitary Watch, “The United Nations classifies solitary confinement as cruel and inhumane treatment that often rises to the level of torture, and has called for a complete ban on placing children in solitary.” Despite this, “thousands of kids experience isolation every day in adult jails and prisons and in juvenile facilities.”
Some argue solitary confinement serves as a punishment rather than protection, though a few claim it shields them from violence. Cory Wise, who was 16 when he was wrongly convicted in the “Central Park Five” case, said solitary confinement protected him from assault but damaged his mental health.
According to The Innocence Project, “Mr. Wise served 11.5 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. The investigation of the convictions of these five teenagers has raised questions regarding police coercion and false confessions, as well as the vulnerability of juveniles during police interrogations.”
Wise later acknowledged that while isolation may have kept him physically safe, it was psychologically harmful.
The Juvenile Law Center reports that “when youth are incarcerated in adult jails and prisons, they are likely to face a higher risk of sexual abuse, physical assault, and suicide. Incarcerating children with adults also denies them access to many essential programs and services, including education, as well as treatment and counseling services, impeding their chances for healthy development.”
The National Library of Medicine found solitary confinement worsens aggression and mental decline. “Mental conditions that correlate with such deterioration due to isolation in deprived environments have been associated with an increased risk of maladaptive action tendencies and socially dysfunctional behaviors, including aggression,” the agency noted. Once released, rehabilitation and reintegration become nearly impossible.
Solitary Watch added, “Survivors of solitary confinement report a multitude of cognitive and mental health deficiencies consistent with changes in the hypothalamus and amygdala caused by chronic stress, including depression and suicidal thoughts, anxiety-related behaviors, and difficulties with memory and spatial awareness.”
The publication also stated, “Involvement in the criminal justice system often comes with collateral consequences, such as disenfranchisement, housing restrictions, and higher chances of homelessness and unemployment, to name just a few.”
Having to cope with trauma while trying to build a life after incarceration is profoundly discouraging, especially without access to mental health resources.
Solitary confinement deprives people of human contact and violates basic human rights, according to Solitary Watch. Eliminating the practice would promote rehabilitation and improve the well-being of incarcerated individuals.
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