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Cierra Walton Research Paper Professor Dorhout October 28, 2016
Solitary Confinement Solitary Confinement is efine as !the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as punishment" #his practice starte in 182$, %ith the first first e&periment at 'astern State Penitentiary in Philaelphia" #he e&periment %as base off the (ua)er belief that isolatin* a prisoner %oul buil character" #o #oay ay there are about 80,000 inmates in an out of solitary confinement a year" +t %as ori*inally implemente in the nite States as a %a y to )eep prison staff an the ma-ority of the the inmate population safe" +t be*an as a positi.e mo.e, but it /uic)ly turne ne*ati.e" +n orer to choose to support or be a*ainst a* ainst it you must )no% %hat it is" ein* confine to a %ino%less cell that is about the sie of a par)in* pa r)in* space for 2223 hours a ay cannot be beneficial to inmates" #he intention of solitary confinement %as not a ba iea4 in some %ays it %as helpful" #he positi.e sie is that it pro.ies protection to prison staff an non.iolent inmates" +t pro.ies a safe place for inmates %ho are consiere hi*h ris), such as inmates %ith *an* affiliation an may become tar*ets to other *an*s" S olitary confinement also acts as a iscipline an suicie %atch" 5 belief behin solitary confinement %as that it coul fi& character throu*h rehabilitation" 5lthou*h solitary confinement %as create %ith *oo intentions, the cons completely contraict the pros" 5s a supporter of *ettin* ri of this practice, let us be*in b y
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attac)in* the positi.e thin)in* of the facts behin it" Suicie is a concern, solitary confinement is an e&cellent %ay to monitor suicie momentarily, but bein* place in small, ar) cells increases the ris) of suicie %hen the opportunity presents itself" #he inmate is unable to commit suicie in the cell, but the thou*ht of it is not iminishe in any %ay, supporte by the stuy conucte in 1$$" #here are si&tythree percent of inmates that committe suicie that year i is a fe% %ee)s %ee) s %ithin bein* release form solitary confinement" #hen there is iscipline" Disciplinin* uncooperati.e or .iolent inmates is %ell neee but %hen it comes to solitary confinement, placement is loosely monitore" #here are isputable reasons for solitary confinement such as tal)in* bac) to a *uar or e.en efenin* themsel.es a*ainst abuse or iscrimination can *et inmates place in solitary confinement" #here are prisons in %hich the sole purpose is to isolate prisoners" #hese are calle Superma& prisons" Superma& prisons, also )no%n as 5ministrati.e 5ministrati.e 7a&imum acility 95D:;, are hi*h ma&imum facilities" #hey are fune by #he Department of
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!Special >ousin* nit!9S>;, %here they place inmate %ho are causin* isturbances or ha.e attempte to escape" Rehabilitation %as another pro to solitary confinement" (ua)ers, a hi*hly reli*ious Christian *roup, create the first prison meant to punish an rehabilitate" #hey belie.e loc)in* prisoners in a room %ith a ible %oul fi& the character an rehabilitate the person" #his, #his, for one, .iolates the separation of church an state" Seconly there ha.e been stuies to test the effecti.eness of this metho, but the stuies sho% that it has the oppo site effect" Rehabilitation re/uires human interaction an sunli*ht" #herefore, not )no%in* %hat time of ay it is ma)es a prisoner /uestion ho% he or she shoul be feelin*, an it %ears their boy o%n because of their internal cloc) is constantly /uestionin* %hether they shoul be tire or not" 5lso, nearly 60? of people %ho %ere place in lon*term solitary confinement ha.e suffere from mental illness illness an postpartum isorer" isorer" #hese isorers inclue inclue an&iety, paranoia, insomnia, a**ression, a**ression, an epression" One inmate inter.ie%e sai, @+ %as not suicial4 + %as ser.in* = years for robbery, but bein* in that cell mae me %hat to *i.e up sometimes"A Prisoners also a*ree that solitary confinement is not part of a positi.e rehabilitation" #he 1Bth amenment protects basic human ri*hts, an the 8th amenment protects a*ainst cruel an unusual punishment" oth of o f these amenments ha.e been ar*ues that bein* in solitary confinement is a .iolation of both amenments" Some people e.en *o as far to say it is strai*ht out torture" #orture is efine as @pain, %hether physical or mental inflicte on a person intentionally, @an inmates in solitary confinement %ill spea) out an an tell the misinterprete conitions in solitary confinement" Chemical torture in.ol.in* stun *uns an stun *renaes are use, alon* %ith @no touch torture"A o touch torture consists of constant bri*ht li*ht shinin* in the cell, e&treme temperatures 9hot an col;, an force insomnia" #hese all lea to mental
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health issues, an to a insult to in-ury, these inmates o not *et ae/uate health treatment, physically or mentally" mentally" +t is these punishments that lea lea to the " Committee 5*ainst 5*ainst Solitary Confinement to loo) a little closer at these conitions an , althou*h unsuccessful at *ettin* ri of it, they %ere able to prohibit mentally isable an -u.enile prisons from bein* place in solitary confinement" #he 1Bth amenment is .iolate an 62,000 an inmate per year is .ery e&pensi.e an that money coul be use for somethin* more purposeful or e.en to fun better S> that are alreay in prisons" Opinions ha.e been mae an attention has been brou*ht to the public about the abolishment on solitary confinement" Political fi*ures such as Obama ha.e openly state they o not a*ree %ith some of the harsh conitions that come %ith solitary confinement" One person, in particular, trie trie fi*htin* these conitions, Eeonie rin)ema"
e re/ueste not to be place in solitary confinement ue to the fact that the murers %ere committe in 1$88 an he %as usin* ru*s an rin)in* hea.ily at the time but no% %as sober" When enie, he as)e to -ust *et the e&ecution o.er %ith" 5nother ma-or case ealin* %ith solitary confinement %oul %ou l be Wil)inson .s" 5ustin 5ustin 9200;, %hich le to a re/uirement process to be place in solitary confinement" #hey i not ma)e it hea.y, but a fe% re/uirements %ere better than none"
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+n conclusion, the cons out %ei*h the pros %hen it comes to solitary confinement" '.en political fi*ures such as Presient Obama an
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Wor) Cite reslo%,
