...known as Solitary Confinement. Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which an inmate is isolated from any human contact for 23 hours a day. In certain situations, a prisoner can be held in solitary confinement for several days, weeks, and even months. Solitary confinement is immoral and should be illegal in American prison systems because it causes significant mental distress, physical pain, and it violates the eighth amendment of the United States constitution. Human beings are social creatures. Most parents put their children in a learning environment at a very young age to encourage social interaction with peers. Social interaction is vital to the mental wellness of humans at all ages and stages of development. Solitary confinement violates the very nature of the social interaction that is needed for one’s mental health. Numerous studies have shown that roughly a third of solitary inmates were “actively psychotic and/or acutely suicidal” (Dvorsky 8). This type of punishment does not support mental health, which is critical for rehabilitation. Inmates who experience psychological trauma are less likely to recover, “without human contact, inside a cell that is approximately 80...
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...On Solitary Confinement An Exploration Of An Age-Old Method of Punishment Solitary confinement is defined as the isolation of inmates and limiting their human contact in prison. From its birth in the late 1700s to its more widespread usage in recent history, solitary confinement has grown to be a considerable tool in the arsenal of the United States prison system’s methods of controlling its enormous prison population, shown by an increase in the construction of “Supermax” prisons, maximum-security prisons with units specifically designated to isolate inmates. With solitary confinement’s recent uptick in usage throughout the United States on both the federal and state level, questions have arisen about its implementation, its effects on the prison population, and its ethical implications. With it becoming apparent that solitary confinement will continue to play a large role in the United States correction system in the future, it is important to explore the answers to these questions. In this essay, we will explore these questions in order to understand solitary confinement more fully. History Defined fully as, “…confinement of a prisoner alone in a cell for all or nearly all of the day, with minimal environmental stimulation and minimal opportunity for social interaction,” (trauma of psychological torture 113) solitary confinement strives to eliminate the stimulus of senses such as sight, touch, and hearing, with the elimination of stimulus and social interaction...
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...offenders entering the prison system with a mental disorder grew 71% in men and 61% in women (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2012). The problem at hand is that correctional institutes and their staff are not widely trained to deal with inmates who suffer from mental disorders. The result then, is that use-of-force interventions, and placement in solitary confinement, often for extended periods of time, are used as methods of dealing with unruly behaviours exhibited by these mentally ill offenders. While there are various issues surrounding mental health in the Canadian judicial system, for the purpose of this report, the discussion will be focused around inadequate methods for dealing with behaviours presented by these inmates, namely by use-of-force and solitary confinement 1.1 Use-Of-Force Techniques In Sapers 2014 report, it is reported that “28% of all use of force interventions involved an offender with a mental health concern as identified by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)” (Ministry of Public Safety, 2014). This is likely due to the fact that mentally ill inmates are more likely to self-harm, have unpredictable behaviour, and have more trouble complying with rules. Further to this, “The use of pepper spray in nearly 60.4% of all use of force incidents reviewed suggests an increasing reliance on security-driven responses to behaviours that are often associated with mental illness” (Ministry of Public Safety, 2014). 1.2 Solitary Confinement Earlier this...
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...Solitary confinement is an incarceration norm in the United States and around the world, as prisoners are locked away and left to their own devices for days on end. Though this practice has mostly been commonplace and a part of the American criminal justice ethic for the better part of three centuries, some have questioned whether this is the future of criminal justice in America. Solitary confinement, it seems, has psychological effects that have previously been unknown and given this information, some argue that the practice is inhumane or in violation of the sixth amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Solitary confinement breaks down the mind’s ability to function and in the process, it does long-term, often irreparable damage to prisoners. Those prisoners, many of whom are later released at the end of their sentence, are afflicted with a new mental disability as a result of their time in solitary confinement. This can have dangerous effects on communities and it can lead to higher rates of recidivism among these prisoners. Given the accumulated knowledge that the scientific community now has on the long-term effects of solitary confinement, it is clear that this practice raises ethical and practical questions. It will, in the next ten to twenty years, force various states and the federal government to choose whether they want to continue with an inhumane practice that could leave communities with a new danger that has been wholly caused by incarceration...
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...Pennsylvania System Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Pennsylvania System Prisons are places were reform is supposed to take place. The means by which prisons initialize reform varies from rehabilitation programs to solitary confinement. This paper examines the Pennsylvania System and how its principles were extrapolated for the modern prison system. The next section provides an overview of the Pennsylvania System. The Pennsylvania System In the 1800s the Quakers were a religious order. Like most religious orders they followed the path of God and thus new that sin was part of their lives. With that being said that also knew that repenting of their sins would lead them back to God’s path. Individuals who were committing a crime were obviously sinner and were in need of repentance. The laws of the land stated that criminals would go to jail but that was not the only solution. While in jail the prisoners needed to know that their actions would not be tolerated by God or by man. The formation of the Pennsylvania system was based on the idea that solitary confinement would bring about change in the prisoners. This change was anticipated in the form of penitence and reformation. At the time the founders of this grand endeavor were the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2013). The predominant members were Quakers and drove the decisions and actions of this committee. The implementation of...
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...thousand human beings confined in prison cells with limited access to their freedom and gaining illnesses. Should we still continue the basic torture named solitary confinement within our prisons? Many believe it is necessary for solitary confinement to be practiced in prisons; to keep inmates and facility members safe. Solitary confinement should be removed from all American prisons so it won’t cause for issues with inmates. Solitary confinement can be described as legal torture, according to Amendment eight it can fall into a cruel and unusual punishments of civilians. It causes negative effects of the prison community and the outside community that we live in. Those inmates that lived in solitary confinement have become more dangerous to their lives and others. Adding on to being dangerous they also gain...
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...Prisoners in Long-term Solitary Confinement Mary Blanchard Argosy University Abstract This literature review examines the effects of short and long-term solitary confinement on individuals, especially those segregated in prisons and so-called "Supermax" facilities. The hypothesis is that while short-term confinement does not appear to cause serious harm, long-term confinement is detrimental to prisoners, particularly to those who are mentally ill. The evidence concludes there is a correlation between long-term isolation and psychological and physiological problems. The articles cover the history of solitary confinement, the wax, and wane of the practice, life in Special Housing Units, the constitutionality, and recidivism. Additionally, there are suggestions for improving confinement when it is necessary, as well as reducing the use as much as possible by limiting it to the "worst-of-the-worst" offenders. keywords: solitary confinement, "Supermax", Special Housing Units, mentally ill, recidivism, "worst-of-the-worst" No Man Should be an Island: A Literature Review on the Effects of Prisoners in Long-term Solitary Confinement Inroduction From the Iron Maiden and the Rack to Waterboarding and Sensory Deprivation, thoughts of these practices can make the most stoic person shudder. What many do not imagine is that the most harmful form of torture is also the simplest to apply. This "corrective measure" still in use today is solitary confinement (SC). Under the...
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...Solitary Confinement is Cruel and Must Cease Immediately You are in a prison. Isolated from everyone else, in a room, no larger than eighty square feet, with a toilet, sink, a bed, and a small slot for your meals. Do you like it? If not, that is how prisoners feel when placed in solitary confinement; some have been in solitary for a few months, some for a few years. You have never thought about this have you, how convicts feel. Solitary confinement is basically a form of torture but more “humane”; the outcome of this is no joke; the thoughts of suicide, increased, risk of getting viruses, and ultimately, self harm to suicide. The following paragraphs will further inform you about the demonic punishment for prisoners. Solitary confinement is used in prisons as a form of punishment for convicts; evidently, the prisons do not realize that this is harming the inmates’ mind. To start off, the effects that solitary confinement has on the...
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...Raliat Tijani Solitary Confinement in Prison Essay Is Solitary Confinement the right punishment for inmates in prison? Solitary confinement is the isolation of inmates in a twelve by eight foot cell with no windows for 23 hours or more as a form of punishment. Some people say solitary confinement helps keep the prison safe but medical research say it causes a longer term of mental illness. Even though it's supposed to serve as a form of punishment for violent infractions it is not always used in judicially because as additional punishment they can be denied food, exercise, and showers. Solitary confinement in immoral and does more harm to the inmates than good. First of all, Solitary Confinement is too costly. “The construction of solitary cells alone is more than the average costs of a prison that holds a general inmate population(pg. 100)”. Due to the fact that a regular cell can hold more than two people to a cell and solitary holds only one it become more expensive. When prisoner are taken to solitary the costs grows each time. For the prisons to accommodate the the large amount of prisoners who are taken to solitary they have to make more single cell which cost three times more than the average cell. Secondly, It does more harm than good to the inmates. “A number of prisoners who are placed in isolation have mental illnesses...
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...In Pelican Bay prison California A prisoner was once dumped in scalding water so his skin would peel off, other prisoners were sent outside naked in the rain.In Corcoran prison, California guards held their own Roman gladiator games with prisoners against each other much like today's correctional officers in the infamous Rikers Island correctional facility forcing inmates to fight one another. Although these old forms of prisoner abuse have almost all been put out of use, one, however, has prevailed and is still used to this day.This cruel and unusual punishment is solitary confinement. Inmates have been sentenced to solitary for infractions such as refusing to cut their hair for religious reasons or eating an apple incorrectly, which shows how broadly the offenses officially punishable with solitary confinement can be interpreted.The effects of solitary confinement include and are not limited to Nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, Nightmares, Violent thoughts, and Heightened anger. According to the United Nations, the confinement SHU (typically, in cells of under 8 x 10 feet or 2.4 x 3 meters) for over 15 days is to be considered torture. Victims...
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...inmates in solitary confinement is the best punishment to give, while others believe that it violates the Eight Amendment. According to Stacey Hannem-Kish in Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities, “Inmates are placed in solitary confinement for one of three reasons: (1) as a punishment for violating an institutional rule, (2) to protect the security of the institution, or (3) to protect inmates from others in the institution who may wish to harm them” (909). Not all prisoners have to commit one of these offenses; some are automatically assigned to solitary confinement because the offense committed was considered highly dangerous. These inmates are locked up in their cells for 23 hours a day leaving...
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...Penitentiary Ideal and Models of American Prison CJS/230 April 27, 2014 Penitentiary Ideal and Models of American Prison The Eastern State Penitentiary ideal was supposed to be both a spiritual and non-spiritual place of punishment, mostly created and intended for repentance. The punishment that was delivered was to be considered humane, as opposed to physical, corporal punishment delivered in the jails. (Foster, 2006) The idea of the penitentiary was to create a particular punishment that would be considered a common upon all serious offenders. It was intended to replace the many different types of punishment that was handed down by the Judges when prisoners were sentenced to jail. One goal of the penitentiary was to be a completely different concept than that of a jail, the vision was for the penitentiary to be a clean and humane place where inmates could be housed. Inmates were kept separate and away from each other, in solitary confinement in an effort to help them maintain a clean body and clean spirit. Discipline that was used in the penitentiary was intended to correct the inmate’s behavior by strictly enforcing particular rules. The penitentiary model allowed prisoners to be productive by laboring and making handmade items, such as shoes and leather goods. Prisoners were just not permitted to just sit around all day; similar to what was happening in the jails. Although, the penitentiary was a secular place, it was created with a more spiritual intent. The...
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...The ideal for penitentiary as its core is confinement and imprisonment in order to keep the criminals off the streets so that he or she cannot continue to commit a crime in the society. It was also the main form of punishment for crimes that were committed. Taking away a person’s freedom and subjecting them to confinement as a means of punishment. Penitentiary ideal purposes were both secular and spiritual (Foster 2006). Prisons were in basic terms designed to give criminals a place that isolated him or her away from other people. Designed to be safe not only health wise, but also for the inmate’s safety from themselves and others. It was also a place that ensured the punishment the court system deemed equal to the crimes committed. The judge/courts administer a sentence to the criminals and other punishment while in the penitentiary (Foster 2006). During this time it was thought the criminal would consider and think about the wrongdoings that were committed, and try to accomplish a change in their life choices before being released. In the penitentiary, it should be rough because people cannot do what he or she pleases. Inmates have to follow certain rules to avoided punishment or lock up in solitary confinement. The people who work in the penitentiary has a little freedom than inmates who refuse to work while he or she locked up. Penitentiary is a safe place to keep criminals so that people who been caught is not out on the street to keep committing a crime in the society...
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...One of the first prison systems was called the Pennsylvania System. The ideology of this system was used in the Eastern State Penitentiary in the early 1800s. This system had very definite ideas on how a prison should be organized and managed. The operation of this prison was based on the following 5 general principles (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2006): 1. Do not treat prisoners harshly, but instruct them that hard and selective forms of suffering could change their lives. 2. Solitary confinement will prevent further corruption. 3. Offenders should reflect on their transgressions and repent. 4. Solitary confinement is considered punishment. 5. Solitary confinement is economical. The Quakers are the ones that actually formed these ideas, due to the fact they wanted more human treatment for criminals. I believe that the five principles were implemented due to the kind of treatment that the criminals were getting at that time period. “Until the late 1700's, criminals were put to death, shipped to other countries to become slaves, and were thrown to wild animals just so society could literally get rid of them.” (http://voices.yahoo.com/the-early-american-correction-system-326781.html?cat=17) Then when the Pennsylvania system took hold the prisoners were able to carry out a certain amount of time in jail instead of getting hung/ killed. At the time this system took hold it was believed that the prisoners needed a strict punishment that way they could repent and become closer...
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...committed the crime. Under the Code of Hammurabi, the death penalty was awarded for crimes such as thievery, selling or receiving stolen goods, kidnapping, assisting fugitive slaves and for the sale of drink or even keeping a disorderly tavern. In the first five books of the Bible, Biblical punishments follow Hammurabi. In later eras, each civilization developed their set of codes and punishments to fit their needs and own beliefs. The Development of Prisons Until the late 18th century, prisons were used mainly for the confinement of debtors who could not meet their obligations, of accused persons waiting to be tried, and of convicts who were waiting for their sentences—either death or banishment—to be put in effect. Imprisonment, later, also became the means of punishing convicted criminals. During the 16th century, a number of houses of correction were established in England and on this Continent for the reform of minor offenders. The main emphasis was on strict discipline and hard labor. Solitary confinement of criminals became an ideal among rationalist reformers of the 18th century. They believed that solitude would help the offender to become penitent and that penitence would result in reformation. This idea was...
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