Thursday, November 14, 2019
Solitary Confinement | How does it affect us?
If being put in jail for a crime he didn't commit wasn't enough punishment, solitary confinement was hell. After watching the everyday struggle of Korey Wise in the When They See Us documentary, I wondered how many people were actually going through this kind of treatment in prison today.
There are more than 80,000 men, women, and children in solitary confinement in prisons across the US, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Prisoners are often confined for months or even years, with some spending more than 25 years in segregated prison settings. People of color are disproportionately represented in isolation units.
People can be placed in solitary confinement for many reasons, from serious infractions, such as fighting with another inmate, to minor ones, like talking back to a guard or getting caught with a pack of cigarettes. Other times, prisoners are thrown into solitary confinement for not breaking any rules at all. Prisons have used solitary confinement as a tool to manage gangs, isolating people for simply talking to a suspected gang member. Prisons have also used solitary confinement as retribution for political activism.
Numerous studies have documented the harmful psychological effects of long-term solitary confinement, which can produce debilitating symptoms, such as:
- Visual and auditory hallucinations
- Hypersensitivity to noise and touch
- Insomnia and paranoia
- Uncontrollable feelings of rage and fear
- Distortions of time and perception
- Increased risk of suicide
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Prison isolation actually fits the definition of torture as stated in several international human rights treaties, and thus constitutes a violation of human rights law. The U.N. Convention Against Torture denies torture as any state-sanctioned act "by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person" for information, punishment, intimidation, or for a reason based on discrimination.
Since the 1990s, the U.N. Committee Against Torture has repeatedly condemned the use of solitary confinement in the U.S. In 2011, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture warned that solitary confinement "can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment, during pre-trial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental disabilities, or juveniles."
Prisoners and their families have taken the lead in making the public and policymakers aware of this cruelty taking place in U.S. correctional facilities, forming coalitions and working to ensure their stories are told in the news media. Politicians and other public figures--such as President Obama, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, and Pope Francis have denounced long-term solitary confinement, while the U.S. Senate has called for reforms from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
In recent years, several states have reexamined the use of solitary confinement in state prisons, but we are far from abolishing this practice in the U.S.
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I think it's so crazy that solitary confinement is seen as torture, especially because it's been used as a way to protect inmates from each other, as seen in Korey Wise's case. The fact that solitary can lead to PTSD, hallucinations and even suicide really shows how dangerous it is and how it shouldn't be a part of American society, even if it's only in prison. Another shocking fact is that children are a part of the 80,000 people in solitary in the US. Children are being subjected to torture and lifelong PTSD. Prison should be about rehabilitation, not just punishment.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I was surprised with how many people are currently in solitary confinement especially having children being put into solitary confinement. It is sad to see and hear about the long -term damage it causes them and I feel like solitary confinement for children should have a certain limit of time so that they don't develop any of these negative long term effects. These can have a negative outcome on the person because what happens when they are out of prison and wanting to move on and live life, I think that it would difficult.
DeleteI was surprised by how many long-term, harmful effects can come of solitary confinement. However, I'm even more surprised the US continues to use it given that these effects fit the definition of torture, something the US claims to be strongly against.
ReplyDeletePrison is supposed to help people rehabilitate and better themselves. However, part of the reason why prisons fail at this is because they isolate prisoners. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we must satisfy lower, more basic needs before considering higher needs. Love and belonging needs are in the middle of his pyramid of human needs, and they are followed by esteem and self-actualization. So, in order for people to have self-esteem and work on achieving their full potential, they must have relationships with others. Like you said, solitary confinement in prisons is literally torture, and according to Maslow, prisoners in this environment literally cannot improve themselves.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering whether or not other countries treat solitary as systematic torture. While the UN recognizes solitary in excess of 15 days as be torture, many of the European countries still regularly use the practice as punishment. Germany restricts solitary to 3 months a year, Britain and Canada keep its use low but to the discretion of prison administrators, and some countries have no restrictions whatsoever. The EU states are required to follow all articles, but there's not enough restrictions on these statutes. Out of all of these countries though, the U.S. definitely has the most violations. Thomas Silverstein, the person to be held in confinement in the U.S. the longest, spent 36 years in solitary. Regardless of the crime, that kind of torture for such a long period of time is entirely unacceptable.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Silverstein
https://intergentes.com/solitary-confinement-in-canada-and-abroad/