Research has previously been conducted (thousands of them). One of the research projects I found was that of Stuart Grassian entitled “Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement”. The fact that the Federal Bureau wants to get yet another third party to evaluate what has been evaluated several hundred times is a little overreaching. At whose expense is this conducted? Since we are talking Federal Prisons I would guess that that cost for this third party evaluation will be passed on to the tax payer. Let’s at least look and compare the findings of previous research. I saw nowhere in the article where any type of peer reviews had been done of works about solitary confinement. When I pulled up the key word search of “Solitary Confinement” and “effects” I had over two hundred journal publications. Surely out of these research efforts the US Bureau of Prisons can take note and get an accurate insight to the Psyche of the inmates in solitary confinement.
The solitary confinement used in prisons is probably the most demeaning punishment that a person could get. Of course, they wouldn’t be there if they had not been found guilty of a heinous crime especially the rape and murder of someon. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be locked up in a confined area for 23 hours of the days and I can understand why the suicide rate is so high. The answers to this type of incarceration are so vast that only God knows how much to punish someone….they probably are already dead inside so that is probably the reason the ACLU is taking such an interest in this.
For some solitary confinement can feel like a worse punishment than being put to death. At least if you're dead you won't have to worry about being lonely, or stuck in a room for around 23 hours a day with possibly not TV, or anything to do. I have to agree that solitary confinement can have a major impact on the mind, and I can understand why an inmate would commit suicide while in prison because of solitary confinement. However, one must look at the crime the inmate committed. I can see both sides of the argument when it comes to this topic. Yes, solitary confinement can be harsh on the mind, however, look at the crime committed itself. Why should someone who killed several people by raping them, and allowing them to have a slow and painful death be allowed to have benefits such as free time with others and have a "fun" time while serving time. Although, is it okay to inflict punishment on others? I just feel this is an argument that people could have conflict over, just like the death penalty argument.
In reference to the article about The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the use of solitary confinement, I find many reasons that this practice should be completely eliminated from the prison system. I agree of the planned audit, by the National Institute of Corrections, to examine this type of confinement, known as restrictive housing. These are facilities of small cells with no windows, where prisoners are confined up to twenty-three hours a day. I am appalled that this cruel punishment is allowed to continue in the society of today, which often causes severe psychological effects on inmates, resulting in over half of the suicides in all prisons being committed in solitary confinement. I agree that this is a human rights issue pertaining to the criminal prosecution of United States citizens, which are protected from cruel or unusual punishment, as stated in the Constitution of the United States. The article states that “The federal prison system is the largest in the country and includes some 215,000 inmates,” and also states that, “The United States holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other democratic nation in the world.” I strongly recommend that the use of solitary confinement should no longer be allowed in the United States.
Solitary confinement had been defined as the worse type of punishment in prison. Solitary can practically ruin a person. When you think about it being in a small room with no windows and you’re only let out for as little as 1hour a day can drive a person crazy. Many individuals who have been released now have issues with being in small places. Although they are no longer in prison they still fill the effects of that punishment. Most people would say that the after affects of prison is what causes individuals to think twice about committing a crime that would cause them to be placed in prison and possibly solitary. I do agree, but when a person goes to prison it does not mean that they are no longer a human being. For the U.S Bureau of Prisons to review the solitary confinement punishment is worth the review simply because we want individuals to be able to interact with other individuals after their release from solitary.
The United States federal prison system is the larges in the country and includes 215,000 inmates. Some of these inmates are being put in solitary confinement. I think solitary confinement should be maybe not completely eliminated but it should defiantly be thought over. I think it’s cruel to put a person in a little room with no windows for 23 hours a day. People will go insane in there in a short period of time, at least I would. The article stated that more than half the suicides committed inside prisons occur in solitary confinement, to me this is something that can be prevented there shouldn’t be so many suicides in solitary confinement that should be a red flag to the authorities. They should change the way they used solitary confinement, they shouldn’t keep the inmate inside a small cell for 23 hours, the least they can do is to ad a window in the room so that way the inmate can have fresh air and can look at a different view other than the four walls that surround him for 23 yours a day. I truly home they can work something out to help with the problems solitary confinement is bringing to the prisons and their inmates.
I kind of like the idea of solitary confinement, but it should definitely be more thought out and researched. If this federal prison system includes 215,000 inmates and more than half commit suicide then that is was to many men to die over a punishment. Solitary confinement is supposed to be a punishment not something to push you over the edge. Plus they have to stay there at max 23 hours at one time. That is a little ridiculous and makes the inmates go crazy. They should only be in there for no more than a few hours for punishment. I think there idea is a little extreme. I think if we are going to keep solitary confinement we need to find ways to not make it a “human right issue.” I hope this review makes the Federal Bureau of prisons rethink what they are doing and put some restrictions on these prisons solitary confinement. I cannot even imagine the psychological impact on these inmates, and I wonder if it would be a permanent impact especially being in solitary confinement repeatedly for 23 straight hours. If it is a permanent impact I wonder if that is a reason they could be getting sent back repeatedly, because they are not thinking in their right mind. This solitary confinement should definitely be reviewed.
Solitary confinement should be used in the prison system. Maybe the way it is done or handled needs to be changed. Prisoners are in prison for a reason so when they don’t follow the rules what else can be done to show them that they can’t do whatever they want. Yes there are 215,000 inmates in the federal system but half of them don’t commit suicide half of the inmates in solitary confinement commit suicide. Some inmates stay in solitary for weeks or even months at a time. They have to stay in the cell 23 hours a day with one hour out. Like I said the way solitary is handled and or done needs to be changed. I don’t think we can say the reason people keep going back to prison is because of solitary confinement issues, it is their behavior. There needs to be a more proactive approach on rehabilitation. It really needs to start on the outside and cycles of criminal activity need to be broken so we won’t have to worry about spending money on doing all these studies in prisons. If society took a proactive approach to helping others by educating families and breaking the cycles of living on welfare, criminal behavior, and expecting society to take care of them this may help curve the prison population. But I guess this is another topic.
First and foremost people are tricky. I’d say definitely some people need to be in solitary confinement. Isn’t it true also solitary can sometimes protect an individual? It may be media mumbo jumbo portraying this, but say there is a high probability someone might be killed if spotted in prison. If you take them to solitary confinement they are protected from the other people in prison trying to kill them. Also let’s think the other way around. There is somebody who has killed say at least one person in a violent rage in prison. Wouldn’t it behoove everybody to keep that live wire away from everyone else? It’s terribly sad that people commit suicide in solitary. I don’t really know how to come about that. Maybe even more separation in prisons must take place. It’s not a bad idea to send an auditor in; he probably could come up with great suggestions. Maybe they could paint the walls in solitary happy colors or something. There are probably people that end up in there who don’t deserve to. But let’s face it probably most the people in there should not be around the other prisoners, due to their unsavory actions. I say paint smiley faces and unicorns all over the rooms but keep them in solitary if they’re too violent.
I can't take just one side on whether solitary confinement should be used in prisons. There are people that really do not need it, and then there are people like Charles Manson who cannot be trusted to talk to anyone because of how manipulative they are. I believe it does take a toll on someone's mental state, definitely. Just sitting in my room for too long without anything going on or anyone to talk to, it makes me go a little crazy. We had to do an experiment on something like this in my health class in high school when we were talking about mental health. We were supposed to see how long we could go and what we felt during that time. A lot of people could easily be driven to the point of suicide or some sort of mental breakdown if they had to go through this, which most of the people who do sit in there, probably do not need it. I would suggest maybe not as many hours in solitary or have something for them to do. Nothing fun, just something to pass the time.
I feel as though further research is not necessary because there's already a good amount on the topic from previous researchers. I think it's obvious that confining someone to a room with no windows for 23 hours a day would do some psychological damage. I can just imagine how I used to feel in while taking stated mandated testing and the agony of being confined to one classroom all day. The plus was "all day" was not 23 hours. I can only imagine what a person goes through with all that time. Even a window would probably make things a little better. I'm down for you do the crime you do the time, but this is a bit Draconian. I think for people who have a chance to be released back into society, the change needs to happen immediately. I say this because its really hard to measure or predict how this situation will treat every individual, but if we don't know, I think for the safety of society we need to cover our butts. I'm not saying revamp the whole system right here right now, but there's plenty of room for improvement. Small changes could be adding a window or allowing a little bit of current events or music. Something to add a sense of recreation to keep these inmates somewhat socialized.
the solitary confinement is sure a pretty tough punishment, of course being locked up for 23 hours it's going to cause some side effects (psychological) which might lead to suicide. i personally think that this is a good punishment for those inmates that doesn't have a good behavior; plenty of people are against it, because as the article says, this kind of punishment is the cause of the majority of the suicide in prisons. yet, all this people still inmates, and they are in prison for a reason, because they did something wrong in their life, if they are serving a sentence in prison it is because they look for it, and it was their chose, nobody told them to commit a crime and lost their right to freedom right? not all the crimes are the same, and some are worse than others. what i would consider, in respect to solitary confinement, could be the possibility to apply it only to those inmates that have commit crimes like killing, kidnaping, raping, child abuse, and domestic violence. and if they kill their selves because they couldn't handle it, i would be happy because i think people like that, don't have the right to live.
I believe that the use of solitary confinement is a must. I feel this way, because once someone is sent to prison for committing a crime and they now can’t even follow the prison rules there has to be someone where else for them to go. If they are left with the other inmates they are showing that its okay to not abide by the rules, because nothing will happen and this could cause inmates to one day take over a prison and that would be the worst thing that could happen. So I would say that solitary confinement is not a bad thing and it that it is something that must say in the prison system.
I think that the solitary confinement still should be in our correctional system but not over used. Offcourse it is very bad punishment to lock somebody up for 23 hours with no windows and no way to socialize it has to leave some marks on inmates mind. I think that it should not be used on general population but only on the worst criminals like rapist, mass murderess and child molestation cases. Any other inmate would get it only if they would do something wrong in the general population.
Solitary confinement is said to be one of the worst punishments a person can receive. We have to take into account what the person received this punishment for. The solitary confinement may have lifelong effects on the prisoner. When released, they are said to have issues in small spaces as well as interacting with others. It’s his or her on fault for being incarcerated in the first place. Taking solitary confinement away won’t stop the other violence and psychological outcome in prisons. There will still be problems. In class we learned of the man who wanted to stay in prison because it was all he knew now. There are lifelong affects with regular prisons; does that mean we just let criminals go free? Solitary confinement is a part of the process, if you don’t want to do the time, don’t do the crime.
I feel as if the prisoners that are placed in solitary confinement found themseleves for one reason, or another. I am not agreeing that because they are criminals that they deserve this punishment, but they are not placed in solitaire because they could not control their behavior after being placed in prison. Not only did they commit a crime to be committed into prison, but they continued to misbehave while in prison. Solitary confinement instead, should cut down the hours that they hold a prisoner in the room, and instead let them do other things. I do not know all the legal backings into who is allowed to do what, but you get the jist. I feel as if criminals have a chemical imbalance anyways, no sane person can kill another living person (excluding the accidental homicides). The prisoners have to be taught a lesson somehow, most of them will never see the light of the normal world every again anyways. -Daniella Romero
Solitary confinement is a pretty harsh punishment, no denying that. Think about your life, how many hours one spends communicating with others, how little time one really spends at home now because there is always somewhere you have to be. Now think about being at home for 23 hours, all by yourself; no one to talk to, and nothing to see outside. Its not hard to decide which life style you would rather live. Everyone gets that opportunity of freedom, now if you go and jeapordize that opportunity than you must pay for the consequences even if that includes solitary confinement. Dont get me wrong, I agree that if can definately play a toll in ones mind; but think about what that person must have done to be put in solitary confinement. The person that the crimnal killed/raped or hurt in some other way could of easily been your mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, father, brother (well you get the point). Now do you think that that person deserves to have the same freedom and liberty that you have, when you haven't committed the crimes they have?
I personally believe that solitary confinement should remain in prison,because it is a nescessary tool to control those who are out of control and need to undertand that jail alone is not the only punishment for misconduct but their are other consequences for their actions.Some prisoner conform to jail and become disruptive and disrespect to guards and need to be isolated.
It has been said that being alone is the worst torture an individual could go thru. I have heard from individuals who have been in solitary confinement say that it is the loneliness that gets you and will drive you crazy. When someone serves time in prison is because they have broken the law and is paying their debt to society. Individuals that are placed in solitary confinement are individuals that are either classified as high risk, trouble makers, or violent offenders. These Individuals who are placed in solitary confinement are prone of having a psychological break down or committing suicide. I do believe that this audit will be beneficial to the federal prison system, since it will help them see how they can change the way the confined these prisoners in these special units. I do believe that solitary confinement should not be eliminated, but should be modified to prevent an individual’s psychological break down or a suicide. The reason why solitary confinement should not eliminated is because of the need for these special units, to keep prisoners that need to be separated and safe.
Although I do agree with some type of solitary confinement I do not agree with the amount of excessive time that each inmate spend alone. There is something disturbing when there is a mass of suicide taken place in these prisons. Solitary confinement for 23 hours a day is crazy. No wonder the inmates are losing their mental state. There are others ways to encourage inmates to reflect on their crimes and learn how to renew their way of thinking. Yes, of course there are some inmates who cannot be rehabilitated but do we really have to punish the ones that can be rehabilitated. Being separate from society will cause more issues ones each inmate is release. It would make it harder for an inmate to integrate themselves back into society. Inmates will become angrier when not expected and depressed which will cause recidivism
I'm glad someone has brought attention to the use of solitary confinement. I agree that it can cause inmates to go mentally insane, because a human needs more than an hour of social time a day to function properly. Interaction is a must have. Solitary confinement I believe should only be used unless it's absolutely necessary, not just because of something petty. Hopefully the review causes some changes to go through for the conditions of solitary confinement, otherwise we as in the US will continue to have the same sad stories of inmates committing suicide and going mentally insane, costing us money we really don't have as a country.
Solitary confinement is there for a reason. Solitary should be for criminals that continue to commit crimes, gang bosses, as well as high risk criminals. I do not know why they would want to even review the way the prison system uses solitary confinement. I believe that solitary is being used for the most part in the right way. There are some examples that solitary is used to the extreme, but that should be where the prison staff should be investigated. They are using and abusing there power of the inmates. For the most part Solitary is there for a reason. Solitary is there it separate the good inmates from the dangerous ones. So the prison can have a sense of stability, and undue harm does not come to the prison population. It is also away for the guards to have some control over the inmates.
Should prisoners also have a sense of freedom? Prisons are supposed to be a form of rehabilitation for the inmates. Solitary confinement gives even more of a limitation to what is initially given to prisoners. Being the social creatures that we are, even criminals, need to be able to socialize. Being locked up in four walls and no windows for 23 hours would turn any sane person insane. I believe that prison makes most people worse, and solitary confinement only adds to that. Are we seriously spending more money in order to make a person worse and for these inmates to commit suicides? Then again, how do you stop a prisoner from committing more crimes in the prisons? There is really no answer that will please anyone when it comes to something such a solitary confinement. But, why are we, the U.S., the ones who practice solitary confinement the most? I think our society just has everything done dramatically. Half of the suicides committed in prisons are when an inmate is solitary confinement, according to the article. That is a rather large number, and is something that needs to be looked further into.
I think that solitary confinement is in the prison system for a reason. There are a lot of people that are in jail and tend to be even more violent, and separating them from general population make not create the safest environment, but it will keep any tension down. There might be cases that need to be investigated to make sure the right people are in solitary confinement, but when you make that choice to be a criminal, you are accepting the consequences that go along with it. On the other hand, if it is causing a lot of people to commit suicide, there should be a psychiatrist there to evaluate be that are in solitary confinement on a regular basis. If we are paying people to constantly research the issue, we should be proactive about trying to reduce the problem.
Confinement is based on small cells without windows for up to 23 hours a day. When a prisoner is removed from this confinement their subconscious and conscious state of mind is transformed after confinement. The person can suffer from hallucinations or have memory loss, in extreme cases depression, suicidal thoughts, nightmares or perceptual distortions. I agree that if a prisoner needs to be punished and take responsibility for their actions but the punishment needs to fit the crime or the wrong actions taking by the prisoner. When a person is exposed to solitary confinement for long periods of time resocialization of this the person is impossible. The person is unable to reallocate him/her-self back into society’s fast moving world of technology, families or job market. The person them becomes more unstable/even frustrated with his/her new social environment. Some former prisoner’s commits another crime just to return to prison, a world of isolation.
I think that solitary confinement is a very cruel form of punishment and I don’t think that is too harsh of a punishment for someone who as committed an act of murder, rape, etc. In my opinion, I think that the system is too lenient on criminals. Having someone in solitary confinement allows them to think about the crimes that they have actually committed. I’m sure that this could eventually drive a person insane, but there are consequences to everything that you do. I do not think that the prisons should get rid of solitary confinement simply because most people are not even remorseful for the things that they do. Also, some people view prison as home because there are so many things that they allowed to do and so much freedom that they have. To me, prison just allows a person to live another lifestyle away from the world, but also in world of their own, just with limited privileges. The U.S. has made it allowable for major crimes of violence to be acceptable for a person in a prison cell by allowing them to still enjoy life under certain restrictions. In my opinion, solitary confinement is very much needed.
Even though those in solitary confinement in prison are criminals, they still deserve some basic human rights. Solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day may leave an inmate worse when they get out than when they went in the prison system. They are criminals and do need to be punished, but the criminal justice system needs to work out a better way to house all criminals because some do need to be in solitary confinement while most do not.
Research has previously been conducted (thousands of them). One of the research projects I found was that of Stuart Grassian entitled “Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement”. The fact that the Federal Bureau wants to get yet another third party to evaluate what has been evaluated several hundred times is a little overreaching. At whose expense is this conducted? Since we are talking Federal Prisons I would guess that that cost for this third party evaluation will be passed on to the tax payer. Let’s at least look and compare the findings of previous research. I saw nowhere in the article where any type of peer reviews had been done of works about solitary confinement. When I pulled up the key word search of “Solitary Confinement” and “effects” I had over two hundred journal publications. Surely out of these research efforts the US Bureau of Prisons can take note and get an accurate insight to the Psyche of the inmates in solitary confinement.
ReplyDeleteSolitary Confinement
ReplyDeleteThe solitary confinement used in prisons is probably the most demeaning punishment that a person could get. Of course, they wouldn’t be there if they had not been found guilty of a heinous crime especially the rape and murder of someon. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be locked up in a confined area for 23 hours of the days and I can understand why the suicide rate is so high. The answers to this type of incarceration are so vast that only God knows how much to punish someone….they probably are already dead inside so that is probably the reason the ACLU is taking such an interest in this.
For some solitary confinement can feel like a worse punishment than being put to death. At least if you're dead you won't have to worry about being lonely, or stuck in a room for around 23 hours a day with possibly not TV, or anything to do. I have to agree that solitary confinement can have a major impact on the mind, and I can understand why an inmate would commit suicide while in prison because of solitary confinement. However, one must look at the crime the inmate committed. I can see both sides of the argument when it comes to this topic. Yes, solitary confinement can be harsh on the mind, however, look at the crime committed itself. Why should someone who killed several people by raping them, and allowing them to have a slow and painful death be allowed to have benefits such as free time with others and have a "fun" time while serving time. Although, is it okay to inflict punishment on others? I just feel this is an argument that people could have conflict over, just like the death penalty argument.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the article about The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the use of solitary confinement, I find many reasons that this practice should be completely eliminated from the prison system. I agree of the planned audit, by the National Institute of Corrections, to examine this type of confinement, known as restrictive housing. These are facilities of small cells with no windows, where prisoners are confined up to twenty-three hours a day. I am appalled that this cruel punishment is allowed to continue in the society of today, which often causes severe psychological effects on inmates, resulting in over half of the suicides in all prisons being committed in solitary confinement.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a human rights issue pertaining to the criminal prosecution of United States citizens, which are protected from cruel or unusual punishment, as stated in the Constitution of the United States.
The article states that “The federal prison system is the largest in the country and includes some 215,000 inmates,” and also states that, “The United States holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other democratic nation in the world.” I strongly recommend that the use of solitary confinement should no longer be allowed in the United States.
Solitary confinement had been defined as the worse type of punishment in prison. Solitary can practically ruin a person. When you think about it being in a small room with no windows and you’re only let out for as little as 1hour a day can drive a person crazy. Many individuals who have been released now have issues with being in small places. Although they are no longer in prison they still fill the effects of that punishment. Most people would say that the after affects of prison is what causes individuals to think twice about committing a crime that would cause them to be placed in prison and possibly solitary. I do agree, but when a person goes to prison it does not mean that they are no longer a human being. For the U.S Bureau of Prisons to review the solitary confinement punishment is worth the review simply because we want individuals to be able to interact with other individuals after their release from solitary.
ReplyDeleteThe United States federal prison system is the larges in the country and includes 215,000 inmates. Some of these inmates are being put in solitary confinement. I think solitary confinement should be maybe not completely eliminated but it should defiantly be thought over. I think it’s cruel to put a person in a little room with no windows for 23 hours a day. People will go insane in there in a short period of time, at least I would. The article stated that more than half the suicides committed inside prisons occur in solitary confinement, to me this is something that can be prevented there shouldn’t be so many suicides in solitary confinement that should be a red flag to the authorities. They should change the way they used solitary confinement, they shouldn’t keep the inmate inside a small cell for 23 hours, the least they can do is to ad a window in the room so that way the inmate can have fresh air and can look at a different view other than the four walls that surround him for 23 yours a day. I truly home they can work something out to help with the problems solitary confinement is bringing to the prisons and their inmates.
ReplyDeleteI kind of like the idea of solitary confinement, but it should definitely be more thought out and researched. If this federal prison system includes 215,000 inmates and more than half commit suicide then that is was to many men to die over a punishment. Solitary confinement is supposed to be a punishment not something to push you over the edge. Plus they have to stay there at max 23 hours at one time. That is a little ridiculous and makes the inmates go crazy. They should only be in there for no more than a few hours for punishment. I think there idea is a little extreme. I think if we are going to keep solitary confinement we need to find ways to not make it a “human right issue.” I hope this review makes the Federal Bureau of prisons rethink what they are doing and put some restrictions on these prisons solitary confinement. I cannot even imagine the psychological impact on these inmates, and I wonder if it would be a permanent impact especially being in solitary confinement repeatedly for 23 straight hours. If it is a permanent impact I wonder if that is a reason they could be getting sent back repeatedly, because they are not thinking in their right mind. This solitary confinement should definitely be reviewed.
ReplyDeleteSolitary confinement should be used in the prison system. Maybe the way it is done or handled needs to be changed. Prisoners are in prison for a reason so when they don’t follow the rules what else can be done to show them that they can’t do whatever they want.
ReplyDeleteYes there are 215,000 inmates in the federal system but half of them don’t commit suicide half of the inmates in solitary confinement commit suicide. Some inmates stay in solitary for weeks or even months at a time. They have to stay in the cell 23 hours a day with one hour out. Like I said the way solitary is handled and or done needs to be changed.
I don’t think we can say the reason people keep going back to prison is because of solitary confinement issues, it is their behavior. There needs to be a more proactive approach on rehabilitation. It really needs to start on the outside and cycles of criminal activity need to be broken so we won’t have to worry about spending money on doing all these studies in prisons. If society took a proactive approach to helping others by educating families and breaking the cycles of living on welfare, criminal behavior, and expecting society to take care of them this may help curve the prison population. But I guess this is another topic.
First and foremost people are tricky. I’d say definitely some people need to be in solitary confinement. Isn’t it true also solitary can sometimes protect an individual? It may be media mumbo jumbo portraying this, but say there is a high probability someone might be killed if spotted in prison. If you take them to solitary confinement they are protected from the other people in prison trying to kill them. Also let’s think the other way around. There is somebody who has killed say at least one person in a violent rage in prison. Wouldn’t it behoove everybody to keep that live wire away from everyone else? It’s terribly sad that people commit suicide in solitary. I don’t really know how to come about that. Maybe even more separation in prisons must take place. It’s not a bad idea to send an auditor in; he probably could come up with great suggestions. Maybe they could paint the walls in solitary happy colors or something. There are probably people that end up in there who don’t deserve to. But let’s face it probably most the people in there should not be around the other prisoners, due to their unsavory actions. I say paint smiley faces and unicorns all over the rooms but keep them in solitary if they’re too violent.
ReplyDeleteI can't take just one side on whether solitary confinement should be used in prisons. There are people that really do not need it, and then there are people like Charles Manson who cannot be trusted to talk to anyone because of how manipulative they are. I believe it does take a toll on someone's mental state, definitely. Just sitting in my room for too long without anything going on or anyone to talk to, it makes me go a little crazy. We had to do an experiment on something like this in my health class in high school when we were talking about mental health. We were supposed to see how long we could go and what we felt during that time.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people could easily be driven to the point of suicide or some sort of mental breakdown if they had to go through this, which most of the people who do sit in there, probably do not need it.
I would suggest maybe not as many hours in solitary or have something for them to do. Nothing fun, just something to pass the time.
I feel as though further research is not necessary because there's already a good amount on the topic from previous researchers. I think it's obvious that confining someone to a room with no windows for 23 hours a day would do some psychological damage. I can just imagine how I used to feel in while taking stated mandated testing and the agony of being confined to one classroom all day. The plus was "all day" was not 23 hours. I can only imagine what a person goes through with all that time. Even a window would probably make things a little better. I'm down for you do the crime you do the time, but this is a bit Draconian. I think for people who have a chance to be released back into society, the change needs to happen immediately. I say this because its really hard to measure or predict how this situation will treat every individual, but if we don't know, I think for the safety of society we need to cover our butts. I'm not saying revamp the whole system right here right now, but there's plenty of room for improvement. Small changes could be adding a window or allowing a little bit of current events or music. Something to add a sense of recreation to keep these inmates somewhat socialized.
ReplyDeletethe solitary confinement is sure a pretty tough punishment, of course being locked up for 23 hours it's going to cause some side effects (psychological) which might lead to suicide. i personally think that this is a good punishment for those inmates that doesn't have a good behavior; plenty of people are against it, because as the article says, this kind of punishment is the cause of the majority of the suicide in prisons. yet, all this people still inmates, and they are in prison for a reason, because they did something wrong in their life, if they are serving a sentence in prison it is because they look for it, and it was their chose, nobody told them to commit a crime and lost their right to freedom right?
ReplyDeletenot all the crimes are the same, and some are worse than others. what i would consider, in respect to solitary confinement, could be the possibility to apply it only to those inmates that have commit crimes like killing, kidnaping, raping, child abuse, and domestic violence.
and if they kill their selves because they couldn't handle it, i would be happy because i think people like that, don't have the right to live.
I believe that the use of solitary confinement is a must. I feel this way, because once someone is sent to prison for committing a crime and they now can’t even follow the prison rules there has to be someone where else for them to go. If they are left with the other inmates they are showing that its okay to not abide by the rules, because nothing will happen and this could cause inmates to one day take over a prison and that would be the worst thing that could happen. So I would say that solitary confinement is not a bad thing and it that it is something that must say in the prison system.
ReplyDeleteI think that the solitary confinement still should be in our correctional system but not over used. Offcourse it is very bad punishment to lock somebody up for 23 hours with no windows and no way to socialize it has to leave some marks on inmates mind. I think that it should not be used on general population but only on the worst criminals like rapist, mass murderess and child molestation cases. Any other inmate would get it only if they would do something wrong in the general population.
ReplyDeleteSolitary confinement is said to be one of the worst punishments a person can receive. We have to take into account what the person received this punishment for. The solitary confinement may have lifelong effects on the prisoner. When released, they are said to have issues in small spaces as well as interacting with others. It’s his or her on fault for being incarcerated in the first place. Taking solitary confinement away won’t stop the other violence and psychological outcome in prisons. There will still be problems. In class we learned of the man who wanted to stay in prison because it was all he knew now. There are lifelong affects with regular prisons; does that mean we just let criminals go free? Solitary confinement is a part of the process, if you don’t want to do the time, don’t do the crime.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if the prisoners that are placed in solitary confinement found themseleves for one reason, or another. I am not agreeing that because they are criminals that they deserve this punishment, but they are not placed in solitaire because they could not control their behavior after being placed in prison. Not only did they commit a crime to be committed into prison, but they continued to misbehave while in prison. Solitary confinement instead, should cut down the hours that they hold a prisoner in the room, and instead let them do other things. I do not know all the legal backings into who is allowed to do what, but you get the jist. I feel as if criminals have a chemical imbalance anyways, no sane person can kill another living person (excluding the accidental homicides). The prisoners have to be taught a lesson somehow, most of them will never see the light of the normal world every again anyways.
ReplyDelete-Daniella Romero
Solitary confinement is a pretty harsh punishment, no denying that. Think about your life, how many hours one spends communicating with others, how little time one really spends at home now because there is always somewhere you have to be. Now think about being at home for 23 hours, all by yourself; no one to talk to, and nothing to see outside. Its not hard to decide which life style you would rather live. Everyone gets that opportunity of freedom, now if you go and jeapordize that opportunity than you must pay for the consequences even if that includes solitary confinement. Dont get me wrong, I agree that if can definately play a toll in ones mind; but think about what that person must have done to be put in solitary confinement. The person that the crimnal killed/raped or hurt in some other way could of easily been your mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, father, brother (well you get the point). Now do you think that that person deserves to have the same freedom and liberty that you have, when you haven't committed the crimes they have?
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that solitary confinement should remain in prison,because it is a nescessary tool to control those who are out of control and need to undertand that jail alone is not the only punishment for misconduct but their are other consequences for their actions.Some prisoner conform to jail and become disruptive and disrespect to guards and need to be isolated.
ReplyDeleteIt has been said that being alone is the worst torture an individual could go thru. I have heard from individuals who have been in solitary confinement say that it is the loneliness that gets you and will drive you crazy. When someone serves time in prison is because they have broken the law and is paying their debt to society. Individuals that are placed in solitary confinement are individuals that are either classified as high risk, trouble makers, or violent offenders. These Individuals who are placed in solitary confinement are prone of having a psychological break down or committing suicide. I do believe that this audit will be beneficial to the federal prison system, since it will help them see how they can change the way the confined these prisoners in these special units. I do believe that solitary confinement should not be eliminated, but should be modified to prevent an individual’s psychological break down or a suicide. The reason why solitary confinement should not eliminated is because of the need for these special units, to keep prisoners that need to be separated and safe.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree with some type of solitary confinement I do not agree with the amount of excessive time that each inmate spend alone. There is something disturbing when there is a mass of suicide taken place in these prisons. Solitary confinement for 23 hours a day is crazy. No wonder the inmates are losing their mental state. There are others ways to encourage inmates to reflect on their crimes and learn how to renew their way of thinking. Yes, of course there are some inmates who cannot be rehabilitated but do we really have to punish the ones that can be rehabilitated. Being separate from society will cause more issues ones each inmate is release. It would make it harder for an inmate to integrate themselves back into society. Inmates will become angrier when not expected and depressed which will cause recidivism
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone has brought attention to the use of solitary confinement. I agree that it can cause inmates to go mentally insane, because a human needs more than an hour of social time a day to function properly. Interaction is a must have. Solitary confinement I believe should only be used unless it's absolutely necessary, not just because of something petty. Hopefully the review causes some changes to go through for the conditions of solitary confinement, otherwise we as in the US will continue to have the same sad stories of inmates committing suicide and going mentally insane, costing us money we really don't have as a country.
ReplyDeleteSolitary confinement is there for a reason. Solitary should be for criminals that continue to commit crimes, gang bosses, as well as high risk criminals. I do not know why they would want to even review the way the prison system uses solitary confinement. I believe that solitary is being used for the most part in the right way. There are some examples that solitary is used to the extreme, but that should be where the prison staff should be investigated. They are using and abusing there power of the inmates. For the most part Solitary is there for a reason. Solitary is there it separate the good inmates from the dangerous ones. So the prison can have a sense of stability, and undue harm does not come to the prison population. It is also away for the guards to have some control over the inmates.
ReplyDeleteShould prisoners also have a sense of freedom? Prisons are supposed to be a form of rehabilitation for the inmates. Solitary confinement gives even more of a limitation to what is initially given to prisoners. Being the social creatures that we are, even criminals, need to be able to socialize. Being locked up in four walls and no windows for 23 hours would turn any sane person insane. I believe that prison makes most people worse, and solitary confinement only adds to that. Are we seriously spending more money in order to make a person worse and for these inmates to commit suicides? Then again, how do you stop a prisoner from committing more crimes in the prisons? There is really no answer that will please anyone when it comes to something such a solitary confinement. But, why are we, the U.S., the ones who practice solitary confinement the most? I think our society just has everything done dramatically. Half of the suicides committed in prisons are when an inmate is solitary confinement, according to the article. That is a rather large number, and is something that needs to be looked further into.
ReplyDeleteI think that solitary confinement is in the prison system for a reason. There are a lot of people that are in jail and tend to be even more violent, and separating them from general population make not create the safest environment, but it will keep any tension down. There might be cases that need to be investigated to make sure the right people are in solitary confinement, but when you make that choice to be a criminal, you are accepting the consequences that go along with it. On the other hand, if it is causing a lot of people to commit suicide, there should be a psychiatrist there to evaluate be that are in solitary confinement on a regular basis. If we are paying people to constantly research the issue, we should be proactive about trying to reduce the problem.
ReplyDeleteConfinement is based on small cells without windows for up to 23 hours a day. When a prisoner is removed from this confinement their subconscious and conscious state of mind is transformed after confinement. The person can suffer from hallucinations or have memory loss, in extreme cases depression, suicidal thoughts, nightmares or perceptual distortions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if a prisoner needs to be punished and take responsibility for their actions but the punishment needs to fit the crime or the wrong actions taking by the prisoner. When a person is exposed to solitary confinement for long periods of time resocialization of this the person is impossible. The person is unable to reallocate him/her-self back into society’s fast moving world of technology, families or job market. The person them becomes more unstable/even frustrated with his/her new social environment. Some former prisoner’s commits another crime just to return to prison, a world of isolation.
I think that solitary confinement is a very cruel form of punishment and I don’t think that is too harsh of a punishment for someone who as committed an act of murder, rape, etc. In my opinion, I think that the system is too lenient on criminals. Having someone in solitary confinement allows them to think about the crimes that they have actually committed. I’m sure that this could eventually drive a person insane, but there are consequences to everything that you do. I do not think that the prisons should get rid of solitary confinement simply because most people are not even remorseful for the things that they do. Also, some people view prison as home because there are so many things that they allowed to do and so much freedom that they have. To me, prison just allows a person to live another lifestyle away from the world, but also in world of their own, just with limited privileges. The U.S. has made it allowable for major crimes of violence to be acceptable for a person in a prison cell by allowing them to still enjoy life under certain restrictions. In my opinion, solitary confinement is very much needed.
ReplyDeleteEven though those in solitary confinement in prison are criminals, they still deserve some basic human rights. Solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day may leave an inmate worse when they get out than when they went in the prison system. They are criminals and do need to be punished, but the criminal justice system needs to work out a better way to house all criminals because some do need to be in solitary confinement while most do not.
ReplyDelete