Many Problems With Solitary Confinement
Solitary confinement consists in isolating people in a closed cell area for many hours or days at a time, sometimes even years. Those individuals are forced to go without any other human contact, and are quite often subjected to a refusal of basic medical, dental, and other healthcare needs.
It happens quite frequently in the US, to both children and adults, where thousands of individuals have been placed in solitary confinement. And research has found that among the many negative effects associated with solitary confinement, one of them is alleged to be an increased risk of self-harm, and it might induce psychiatric disorders, among other issues.
The average cost to put someone in solitary confinement is about $75,000 per year. And that money seems to have been badly invested, seeing as a number of lawsuits have been launched over the matter. Solitary confinement is very costly to the community, as taxpayers have already lost millions of dollars thanks to losing various lawsuits that have been launched over injustices and wrongdoings related to this sort of punishment.
One family in Milwaukee recently alleged that their family member was subjected to torture in being punished to undergo solitary confinement for 10 days; alleging that the staff there refused his pleas for water. The family has already launched a federal lawsuit over the allegations and they say that they are even looking to consider felony charges against those who were working on duty at the time that the victim died.
There have been many cases of abuse related to solitary confinement and it's a practice that many legal experts and human rights advocates strongly protest against.
According to the Department of Justice, it's estimated that a quarter of inmates who are currently behind held, who suffer from some mental disorder, are being placed into solitary confinement. It's an injustice to consider the widespread abuses that are occurring to people that require mental help, counseling and other healthcare assistance, rather than severe physical torment and punishment.
It's estimated that there might be at least 80,000-100,000 people who are currently being held in solitary confinement within the US.
In New Mexico, lawmakers there are considering a bill that would seek to ban the use of solitary confinement for anyone under the age of 18, as well as anyone who was pregnant, or someone who might have a serious mental disability. Other states, like California, have also considered similar bans.
Correction officers argue in favor of solitary confinement and say that it is a necessary tool that is required in order to protect staff and inmates from one another, but it is clear that there are many injustices occurring that are not being dealt with accordingly. If corrections officers cannot be trusted to not abuse their authority in exercising solitary confinement as a punishment option, then they shouldn't be given that option.
Pics:
Pixabay
Motherboard/vice
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/27/what-is-solitary-confinement
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-justice/solitary-confinement-prisons-key-data-research-findings
http://www.lcsun-news.com/story/opinion/editorial/2017/03/09/paying-big-use-solitary-confinement/98964078/
http://www.wsaw.com/content/news/Milwaukee-inmates-family-says-dehydration-death-was-torture-415920013.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/27/what-is-solitary-confinement
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/architects-code-of-ethics
I've never even had anyone try to justify solitary to me as being not torture.
Just another example that the "justice system" has nothing whatsoever to do with justice. Non-crimes are "illegal," many real crimes are ignored, punishments are arbitrary, and there is no restitution to real victims.
I was just thinking about a similar subject. When I was younger I hated people because I was surrounded by negativity and in a way I put myself into solitary confinement. I finally realized that I need people and interaction. Great article.
If you guys are interested, I wrote a similar post asking for feedback on how we can reform our prison systems.
https://steemit.com/life/@coloured-content/philosophical-discussion-panel-what-will-it-take-to-reform-our-prisons-a-steem-distribution-activity
Thank information, excellent and good luck.
Dude, I swear to God, I was very close to that situation,but by my own doing.If you watched the videos of me living in that camper, that was mind breaking.
At times, I had no food or water,a lot of the time no electric, no gas to go anywhere,and no one to talk to at all. I thought I was strong enough to handle it all, but as time went on, I would just lose concentration and sit there numbly.
But yeah, I really think sc needs a huge overhaul. How does that help someone who will get out soon? It is damaging to the mind.
As a child if you don't have anyone to care for you, defend you or back you up the pervs and perps come out of the woodwork and it's a sentence of solitary-confinement when no one will help you out. You are at the mercy of everyone that wants to have their way with you. There is no one you can turn to when those people who have you are upstanding in the community and have money and power. I must admit though, it gives you a different perspective/vantage point in the world and with others. All I can say, if a person uses the terror and torment in there life as a tool that gives strong character in life. Of course, that is after getting professional help for deprograming the negativity.
A person without a very strong basic ethical and epistemological structure could easily go mad in such a setting. Since, to be honest, most people lack this, putting an individual through this should be an absolute last resort or we may end up practically manufacturing criminal minds.