Arguments Against Solitary Confinement

According to Portland State University, “Approximately one in 35 U.S. adults are incarcerated, on parole or on probation”. B) According to Penal Reform International, “In most prison systems, prisoners do not have the minimum space requirements recommended by international standards, spending up to 23 hours of the day, if not all day, in overcrowded cells. Overcrowding can be so severe that prisoners sleep in shifts, on top of each other, share beds or tie themselves to window bars so that they can sleep while standing”. Transition to Second Main Point: Now that we have defined what prison overcrowding is, let’s identify common causes.

Firstly, one negative effect on inmates due to solitary confinement is the risk of psychological impairment. Extreme isolation, such as solitary confinement, can cause severe and permanent effects on a person’s mental and emotional health (Scientific American, 2013). When they are released from solitary confinement, several inmates continue to suffer from sleep

Supermax prisons are generally designed to house the most misbehaved inmates, and these inmates are generally locked away in solitary confinement for a majority of their stay (Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). Mears (2015) mentions that supermax prisons are designed for punishment and seclusion, but these inmates can be released from supermax prisons. Two common ways to get released from supermax are through good behavior and being released from a prison term. Most supermax inmates have proven they cannot conduct themselves as model prisoners, but they are given another chance through showing good behavior in adverse conditions. If the prisoners are unable to change their behavior, they may complete their sentence in the supermax prison.

The officers tend to create what is known as a “we/they syndrome”(Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). This relationship is mainly between the officers and the inmates. Also, it has been said that “when there is little interaction except in control situations, the adversarial nature of the relationship tends to be one of dominance and, in return, resistance is present on both sides”(Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). Last but not least, the officers tend to lose their capacity and become shocked by the things they see or witness in these type of prisons”(Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015). “Over time it destroys them psychologically and brings outrage and sadism and violence and brutality”(Schmalleger & Smykla, 2015).

Inmates were sent to the Dark Cell when they disobeyed, such as if they did not go to bed when told to, were not clean in person, or their clothing and if their cell was not clean, were not quiet, orderly and decent in his/her behavior. Did not wake up when told to, did not shave once per week and did not get a haircut once per month, and many more. ( Rules and Regulations for Yuma Territorial Prison 1895 ) If they did not get sent into the “ Dark Cell “, they had a chain that had a heavy ball attached to their ankles, or the chain was attached to the floor of their cell and to their ankle. In all the thirty three years of operation, only one hundred and eleven deaths occurred.

Humans are truly social creatures; not only do people crave social interaction, it is needed to survive. Why, then, would anyone deny something that is needed to survive to children? Everyday in the United States, there are hundreds, if not thousands of youth that are locked in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is used as a form of punishment for prisoners who are acting out or breaking rules in jail. The process involves putting the person in a cell alone for 23 hours a day.

But they fail to realize that the system we have now throws anyone in jail no matter if the person committed the crime or not. They also fail to realize that the current system sentencing isn't organized or fair because there are people out there innocent and people who don’t deserve that time that was given for petty crimes. The current system doesn’t seek for justice, they see everyone who gets arrested as a criminal and feels they should be thrown away for a very long time and that isn't fair. Sentencing reforming is highly recommended due to the outrageous modern sentencing practices we have today. People go to jail or maybe even prison for such petty crimes that doesn't deserve the many years that were given to them.

In the article, around 200,000 people died from hunger, disease, and slave labor because they chose to give up (Piper 378). In contrast, instead of shutting down and letting death take over, Elie fought against death and worked through the hard times. Elie said, "God knows what I would have given to be able to sleep a few moments. But deep inside, I knew that to sleep meant to die. And something in me rebelled against that death" (Wiesel 89).

Many of the inmates have changed their attitudes and conformed to this strict lifestyle in order to avoid such punishments, which consequently lead to the loss of identity. During his time at Road Prison 36, Luke demonstrates his rebelliousness and individuality by constantly going against authority. Furthermore, Luke attempts two escapes, the second of which triggered Luke’s death at the hands of one of the prison Bosses. This essay will examine how the social psychological themes of conformity, authority and non-conformity are portrayed in the movie Cool Hand Luke. More specifically the critical analysis of how conformity and obedience to authority result in less punishment but equally a lack of self identity, and how non-conformity leads to the questioning of the system, individuality and the power of

They will have to live with the mental fact that they took away another person's life, when it is not necessary. Death row is inhumane because it causes mental torment. In the U.S., death row inmates usually spend over ten years waiting for their execution and that time has increasingly gotten longer in recent years (“Time” 1). This emotional distress, commonly referred to as death row syndrome, causes many inmates to lose their mind or even commit suicide. Since these death row inmates know that their time is coming to an end, they slowly lose the ability to function properly.

"Don 't drop the soap!" is a common phrase that most individuals tend to joke about when someone ends up dropping something. The expression originate from prison stories where a male inmate while in the shower drops the soap and in his attempt to retrieve it is usually taken advantage of by another inmate. But what most don 't understand is that this isn 't a funny matter, sexual abuse actually happens in prison, and the thing that most shocking is that this doesn’t just happen in male correctional facililites, but women 's as well.

Inmates described it as “a living death.” Prisoners were isolated from each other and confined in cells five feet wide and nine feet long, and until the late 1930s could only speak to one another during meals and recreational periods. (Alcatraz History) The more unruly prisoners were sent to D Block, where they would be confined to their cell twenty-four hours a day except for once a week visits to the recreational grounds. Regulation number five describes the few good things a prisoner could expect, stating, “You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention.

Being

The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement on Inmates Solitary confinement also known as SHU (special housing units) administrative segregation, special need unit, permanent Lockdown, the hole, the box and many more. Its purpose is to isolate an inmate in an 80 square feet cell for 23 hours a day. It includes a bed toilet and sink, food is delivered through a slot, and one-hour exercise in a cage is given. Solitary confinement is a temporary punishment in response to acts of misconduct. Correction facilities may also use isolation as a form of protective segregation for inmates at risk of victimization.

Why the Issue is Important Solitary confinement, or in other words isolation, is the confinement of an inmate in a 80 foot cell or a special housing unit where he or she is completely secluded from everyone. In most cases, when an inmate is held in solitary confinement, they spend up to 23 hours of the day in a cell, and given an hour of free time in another small cell. The first experiment of solitary confinement started in 1834, and has been proceeding since then. When one is held in solitary confinement, they have very limited interaction with other individuals; they are denied phone calls, limited family visits, they have no personal property, and can suffer from insomnia and forms of brutality.