Solitary confinement of inmates is a special form of imprisonment of a prisoner in a lone cell all day with limited social interaction and environmental stimulation. The confined prisoner is not around to interact with human except for the prison staff. Also known as the hotbox in the US, confinement is used as a form of severe punishment and is employed as a security measure for the inmate (Grassian, 327). The solitary confinement involves supermax prisons and segregation cells which lack windows, poor air quality, dull colors and temper-proof furniture. Current design comprises of electric doors which are intended to eliminate the inmate interaction with the prison guards.
Solitary confinement in the United States started in Philadelphia in the early 19th century as a way of handling criminal behavior. The first experiment was carried out in the year 1829 where prisoners were secluded in stone walls with a bible and were expected to pray, repent and find self-examination of their behavior (Sullivan, 1). The effects of this move were fatal as prisoner's committed suicide, became completely insane and others fell into semi-fatuous conditions. Other confinements were opened were Alcatraz, San Francisco and Pelican Bay in California among others. In year 2005, there were 40 operating Supermax prison and they are home to approximately 25, 000 prisoners.
Solitary confinement is a program or system of punishment that is meant for prisoners that seem dangerous to themselves or other inmates. Prisoners can also be set in the control system if they are suspected to be using or in possession of illegal drugs, engaged in illegal acts outside the prison, if they might be targeted for murder, if they are leading an inmate-illegal gang, as well as a way of punishment for distraction of peace or destruction of prison property. The confinement system has been criticized for the violation of human rights due to the mental torture that prisoners experience (Center for constitutional rights, 1). The psychological effects that make social right advocators concerned is the harsh conditions such as overcrowding, isolation, poor health conditions and substandard medical care for solitary inmates.
The solitary confinement systems have catastrophic psychological effects on inmates. The most outstanding effect is mental illness which is often recorded even on prisoners who had no previous history of mental conditions (American Friends Service Committee, 1). Due to prolonged isolation with little environmental stimulation or/ and social interaction makes the inmate unable to demonstrate sufficient state of attentiveness and environmental attention. Lack of stimulation and subjection to unpleasant conditions makes the prisoners obsessed with the situation and it leads to preoccupation of troubling thoughts which torturous. Subjection to such conditions effects to anxiety and depression which can cause severe human diseases.
According to Sandra Schank, people who are put in isolation go insane. Confining people in security housing units makes them fall apart. Studies show that the solitary confinement makes inmate develop psychopathologies at higher rates than those in general prison units. There are increased cases of suicide in solitary units and high instances of recidivism in released individuals (Grassian, 328). Isolated inmates depict many mental illness symptoms and placements of mentally ill prisoners in isolation do not help them improve. Other psychological effects that result from solitary confinement include high sensitivity to stimulus, perception change, panic attacks, hallucination and cognitive problems like loss of memory, impulsiveness and problematic thinking. Due to stress and depressions, inmates also develop high temper attitudes where they tear and through things without any real reason.
Works Cited
American Friends Service Committee: "Solitary Confinement Facts." American Friend's Service Committee.
Center for constitutional rights: "Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons." Center for Constitutional Rights. 2006.
Grassian, Stuart: "Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement." Journal of Law & Policy [Vol. 22:325. Web. Apr. 2014. <http://law.wustl.edu/journal/22/p325grassian.pdf>.
Rhodes, Lorna A. Total Confinement: Madness and Reason in the Maximum Security Prison. Berkeley, Calif: the University of California Press, 2004. Print.
Sullivan, Laura. "Timeline: Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons: NPR." NPR.org.
