Solitary Confinement: Rehabilitation-Focused Prison System

In my honest opinion solitary confinement in the U.S. is not justified and only does more harm than good. Not only is it a rash punishment, but it is one of the worst kinds of psychological tortures that could be inflicted upon an inmate. Human beings are undoubtedly social creatures and without the mere contact of another person the mind decays and ultimately leads a person to anger, anxiety, and hopelessness. Psychologists also claim that solitary confinement and isolation in general also cause depression or the loss of ability to have any "feelings", cognitive disturbances, such as confused thought processes and disorientation, perceptual distortions, such as hypersensitivity to noises and smells, distortions of sensations, and hallucinations affecting all five senses, as well as paranoia and psychosis which often times involve schizophrenic type symptoms, and finally, the worst of all symptoms, being self-harm such as self-mutilation, cutting and even suicide attempts.

By definition, solitary confinement is the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a form of punishment. This technique has been practiced in the United States since the early 1800’s and arguments on whether or not it should be practiced followed very soon after its institution. Arguments surrounding solitary confinement are slightly diverse, ranging from full support to views denouncing it. The arguments are more complex than just pro versus con; however, some reside in the middle of the argument, acknowledging its flaws and expecting reform, but also acknowledge the base purpose of the institution.

Millions of people go through the United States prison system each year, and once you go to prison, no matter how long ago or how trivial the offense, it follows you around for the rest of your life. Many do not expect much from prisoners after their release and presume they will fall back into the same patterns and are bound to go back to prison. The likelihood of reoffending is referred to as recidivism. “Recidivism is measured by criminal acts that resulted in rearrests, reconviction or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three-year period following the prisoner's release” (“Recidivism”, 2014). It is a key topics of incapacitation, specific deterrence and rehabilitation for criminals and their success after release.

What is solitude? Solitude is the time a person spends alone, hopefully the person is doing something that they enjoy. Sometime I take time out my day to write poetry alone in quiet room. While being alone, I am able to express myself in ways that is therapeutic. I look forward to being alone, it’s like my reward after completing everything else.

The facility was to be owned and operated by Correctional Corporation of America. The group formed in response to this and because of the CCA owned prison in Youngstown that has had many questionable escapes and deaths. This purposive group formed in response to an enemy. So far, the group has mainly targeted the general public, the mass media, and other interest groups. They havent successfully targeted policy makers.

Inmates should be allowed to fight their stay in solitary confinement. Even throughout the prison system inmates still hold their Rights to be heard. A well-presented case against a stay in solitary confinement should be heard and it should also determine whether the inmate needs to continue being in solitary or not. Solitary confinement is effective but cruel at the same time, this can cause many problems such as lawsuits, possible deaths or mental illnesses from the prisoners who have stayed in solitary. The inmates who have stayed in solitary confinement have a right to appeal, just the same way these individuals have a right to appeal their conviction they can also appeal and fight against their stay in solitary confinement.

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.

Just imagine the city of Houston being populated with nothing but prisoners. This is how badly the prison system has gotten overcrowded since the 1980's, and it is only going to get worse. Overpopulation has affected the lives of prisoners inside and outside of prison with a plethora of reasons that cause more harm than good. The only way to solve these problems is to reform the programs inside prisons and to reform the laws in the justice system. Prison reform is needed in the current rehabilitation programs inside of prison since little effort is used to implement a correct recovery for the convicted.

This program offers a variety of transitional services including substance abuse treatment, life skills, and training for employment opportunities. Although these mandatory services are designed to enhance the women’s productivity and interpersonal skills, they appear to have become overwhelming and possibly interfering with the women’s schedules in actually applying for jobs. It also appears facilitators are not relatable in terms of culture, background, social status and ethnicity. “The complexity of the disadvantages confronting prisoners after release means that individual offenders often require more than a single program or intervention.

In order to improve recidivism and increase positive experiences in rehabilitation more programs need to be available to mentally ill offenders. However, the programs must be altered in order to provide the best possible outcome for the type of mental illness being treated. This could become a difficult task because not all mental illnesses are the same and there is a lack of funding for the improvements and additions of programs in correctional settings. It may be more effective and efficient to look at others options for mentally ill offenders that are non-violent.