"A Closer Look at Solitary Confinement in the United States" By Kalief Browder

Kalief Browder  English 11 Professor Jillian Hess May 11, 2015

A Closer Look a !oliary Confine"en in he #nied !aes $s soliary %onfine"en a good hel&f'l way o reha(iliae in"aes or is soliary %onfine"en only "aking "aers worse) !oliary %onfine"en is a &ra%i%e ha &rison offi%ials 'se in order o i"&ose &'nish"en on in"aes who (reak he &rison or *ail r'les+ $ is when an in"ae is &la%ed and %onfined in a %ell (y hi"self wiho' h'"an %ona% %ona%  for a s&e%ifi% a"o'n of days or so"ei"es years o refle% on wha hey did o (reak he &rison or *ail r'les and ho&ef'lly %hange heir (ehaior+ -hen an in"ae is &la%ed in soliary %onfine"en (ooks, "aga.ines, &hone 'sage, isis and o'door re%reaion are li"ied and de&ending on wha *ail or  &rison i is so"e of hese hings are &rohi(ied &rohi(ied o he in"aes+ /he soliary %onfine"en &ra%i%e is ofen in %onfli% wih he eighh a"end"en+ $nsead of soliary %onfine"en reha(iliaing in"aes here is eiden%e of i a%'ally %a'sing seere "enal &ro(le"s for in"aes and in he long r'n leaing he "enal disorders d isorders for heir fa"ilies o deal wih+ $n he #nied !aes soliary %onfine"en was said o hae sared as an e&eri"en in he 1h %en'ry for he &'r&ose of &'nishing "is(ehaing in"aes and also reha(iliaing he"+ /he way soliary %onfine"en is (elieed o (e hel&f'l h el&f'l is ha he i"e s&en alone in s'%h %ir%'"san%es is a way for in"aes o refle% on he "is(ehaiors hey %ond'%ed in he *ail or  &rison and %hange heir (ehaior+ A%%ording o !ory /he firs insi'ion in he #! o “

e&eri"en wih isolaion was he -aln' -aln' !ree Jail in Philadel&hia, ('il a he end of he 1h

%en'ry (y "e"(ers of he 3'aker Ch'r%h wih he o(*e%ie no *'s of &'nishing %ri"inals (' also of reha(iliaing he"+ /he "odel was 4'i%kly ado&ed (y he original A"eri%an  &enieniaries, firs in Philadel&hia Philadel&hia a Easern !ae and hen in A'('rn, ew 6ork 6ork a he  (eginning of he 1h %en'ry7 895:;. 895:;. -iho' soliary %onfine"en (eing f'lly esed as in he healh defe%s of i, he "odel soon (egan o s&read and oher o her &enieniaries sared following he radiion+ Howeer, "any healh defe%s were (eginning o &resen he"seles wihin in"aes who hae (een s'(*e%ed o soliary %onfine"en+ A%%ording o !ory 0s and &roliferaing "os syse"ai%ally oer he las 90 years, we hae seen a reial of he  &ra%i%e of soliary %onfine"en in he #nied !aes as an in%reasingly long?er" and wide? rea%hing &ra%i%e+ !in%e he early 10s, he 'se of isolaion has %o"e o (e one of he fases? growing %ondiions of deenion, een e%eeding e%e eding he e&ansion of he #! &rison syse" in general oer he sa"e &eriod7 895:;. 895:;. /he rise in he 'se of soliary %onfine"en is (elieed o (e  (ehind he %a'se of &rison iolen%e+ Prison iolen%e is des%ri(ed as "'li&le fa%ors s'%h as@ fighs, wea&on 'sage, gang iolen%e, se'al assa'ls, dr'gs, rios and oher heino's a%s+ A%%ording o !il(er"an <o'ine iolen%e a"ong a "ong in"aes o%%'rs as a res'l of dis&'es oer dr'gs, se, or ga"(ling de(s+ Prison gangs are ofen inoled d'e o %o"&eiion oer he

%onrol of he disri('ion of illegal dr'gs in &rison+ a%ial or ehni% ension ofen leads o gang iolen%e, in%l'ding se'al assa'l and "'rder7 81;. 81;. !o d'e o hese differen d ifferen y&es of &rison iolen%e ha goes on, a large de(ae a(o' wheher soliary %onfine"en sho'ld (e a(olished or a leas li"ied hae (een (eing dis%'ssed and if a(olished how wo'ld hey deal wih he %onsisen &rison iolen%e) Eidenly in eery *ail or &rison here are always a gro'& or gro'&s of in"aes in "aes who are and end o %a'se seere har" o oher in"aes and %orre%ion offi%ers so wha oher alernaies do hey hae is in 4'esion+ As noed in Solitary Confinement, ;+ /here are sill a grea n'"(er of in"aes in soliary %onfine"en who aren= %onsidered hreas (' sen here for &'nish"en for so"ehing he or she "ay hae done regardless of how &ey i was+ A &rison offi%ial offi%ial na"ed Aheron and noed in Solitary Confinement @ <!'&er"aes in "any saes hae e&anded  (eyond heir inended &'r&ose, "aking wha sho'ld (e, in his iew, a sandard sandard &rison? "anage"en ool a "aer of %onroersy+7 A lo of wardens were lo%king g'ys '& who were heada%hes (' "anagea(le 'nder nor"al %ir%'"san%es, ;+ As a res'l "any in"aes 'ndergo "any 'nne%essary 'nne% essary "enal healh &ro(le"s ha are lef '& o he" and heir fa"ily "e"(ers o deal wih and fi+ Many in"aes who go hro'gh hese  &ro(le"s of (eing in soliary %onfine"en are now s'%k wih "enal healh iss'es iss'es and so"e don= een hae healh ins'ran%e o een end o heir %are+ /here are a lo of "enal iss'es wihin in"aes and e?in"aes ha se" fro" soliary %onfine"en as noed (y Co%krell <  &hysi%al sy"&o"s are %hes &ains, weigh loss, diarrhea, diarrhea, di..iness, and faining+ /here are

"any &sy%hologi%al sy"&o"s@ de%reased a(iliy o %on%enrae, %onf'sion, "e"ory loss, is'al as well as a'diory hall'%inaions, &aranoia, oer &sy%hosis, &s y%hosis, iolen fanasies, aniey, de&ression in h'ge n'"(ers, lehargy, and ro'(le slee&ing+ Ae"&s o %o""i s'i%ide are no 'n%o""on 8219;+ /hese "enal healh iss'es ofen send e?in"aes righ (a%k o &rison (e%a'se of "is(ehaiors ha se" fro" heir say in soliary %onfine"en+ /hese ongoing iss'es are  (reaking and arring '& fa"ilies (e%a'se heir fa"ily "e"(ers are lef o o &i%k '& he shaered  &ie%es of he e?in"ae wih seere "enal healh iss'es and so"e of he e?in"ae hae neiher fa"ily "e"(ers or healh ins'ran%e o %are for he" le aing i a sronger &ossi(iliy o end '&  (a%k in &rison d'e "enal "is(ehaiors ha se" fro" soliary soliary %onfine"en+ D'e o "any rising iss'es going on wih soliary %onfine"en so"e saes hae alread y sared reising how heir  &risons 'se of soliary %onfine"en is o (e 'sed so"e so"e hae li"ied so"e hae %' down on how "any in"aes are sen here so"e hae %losed down new soliary %onfine"en ('ildings and so"e hae a(olished haing eens in soliary %onfine"en+ $n J'ly, 2019 in California  &risons, in"aes wen on a h'nger srike o ry o a(olish soliary soliary %onfine"en+ A%%ording o !ory
%ell wih nohing e%e& a oile for%ed o go o slee& on a %on%ree floor or sla( denied any h'"an %ona% fed nohing (' n'ri?loaf= and gien *'s a "odi%'" of oile &a&er ?fo'r s4'ares? only a few i"es 8Kael ::0;+ /his is *'s one of "illions e&erien%e in soliary %onfine"en alho'gh de&ending on wha *ail, &rison or sae yo'=re in he &'nish"en yo' are s'(*'gaed o while in soliary %onfine"en aries+ $n "os %ases of soliary %onfine"en also in%l'ding he e&erien%e of in"ae ha was *'s e&lained are dee"ed as %r'el and 's'al  &'nish"en+ /he eighh a"end"en is s'&&osed o &roe% &eo&le in he #nied !aes agains %r'el and 'n's'al &'nish"en (' when wh en i %o"es o he soliary %onfine"en iss'e i is ofen  &'shed 'nder he r'g for one reason or anoher+ !o"ei"es in"aes in"aes %o"e o *ail wih already "enal healh iss'es ha aries and are s'(*'gaed o soliary %onfine"en whi%h "akes heir "aers wors in whi%h hey sho'ld already (e 'nder s&e%ial %are de&ending on o n how (ad heir "enal healh is+ A%%ording o Hafe"eiser and Ieorge
in"aes who %a'se seere har" o oher in"aes and %orre%ion offi%ers (e%a'se he "enal healh risk i &oses are oo grea+ Bi(liogra&hy Co%krell, John G+ Solitary Solitary Confinement: The Law Today And The Way Forward + Law  Psy%hology eiew 9:+82019;@ 211?22:+ A%ade"i% !ear%h Co"&lee+ -e(+ -e(+ 1: Mar+ 2015+ HAGEME$!/E, /HMA! L+, and JEGG IEIE+ The The Ninth Circle Of Hell: An Eighth  Amendment Analyi Of !m"oing #rolonged #rolonged S$"erma% Solitary Confinement On !nmate With With A  &ental !llne+ !llne+ Dener #niersiy Law eiew 0+1 82012;@ 1?5+ A%ade"i% !ear%h Co"&lee+ -e(+ 1: Mar+ 2015+ Kael, Peer+ Solitary Solitary Confinement + + C3 esear%her 1 !e&+ 2012@ :>5?+ -e(+ -e(+ 1: Mar+ 2015+ !il(er"an, Mahew+  #rion, 'iolence 'iolence+ + En%y%lo&edia of !o%ial Pro(le"s+ Ed+ in%en + Parrillo+ o ol+ 2+ /ho'sand aks, CA@ !AIE P'(li%aions, 200+ :20+ Iale ir'al ir'al eferen%e Li(rary+ -e(+ 1: Mar+ 2015 !ory, B+  Alone !nide: Solitary Confinement And The Ontology Of The !ndi(id$al !n &odern  Life+  Life+ Ieogra&hi%a Helei%a >+5 8201;@ 955?9>+ A%ade"i% !ear%h Co"&lee+ -e(+ -e(+ : Mar+ 2015+ +