Solitary Confinement Introduction

As Clark (2017) points out, solitary confinement is typically a disciplinary, administrative or personal measure employed to punish, control or protect the individual who is isolated from others. However, the practice can have lasting and devastating effects on the psychology and health of individuals who thus confined—especially for juveniles. The reason for this damaging effect is that human beings are essentially social creatures and need sociality in order to feel whole. Exceptions to this rule have existed through history by primarily because one individual or another chose to live in solitude and was not confined against his will. Confinement against one’s will can be damaging and debilitating and numerous examples of this exist, especially in cases where the individual is left in confinement for a long period of time: the case of Stephen Slevin, who was arrested for drunk driving and possession of a stolen vehicle—but never charged—was placed in solitary confinement and then forgotten about by authorities for two years before the mistake was finally realized and he was released (Allen, 2013). Slevin suffered from mental damage and physical health problems as a result of his confinement—but his example is a particularly strange and extreme one and there are others that are far more routine that show why the nature of solitary confinement is particularly problematic. This paper will examine some of these examples, show why this is an important issue in the criminal justice field, and discuss how reform can help address the negative ways solitary confinement impacts prisoners, particularly juveniles.

What It Is

Solitary confinement is the practice of isolating a prisoner in a cell that is about 50 sq. ft. big. It was introduced in America by the Quakers in the 19th century with the purpose being to give prisoners the opportunity for “sober reflection and penitence” (Clark, 2017, p. 350). When Alexis de Tocqueville toured America, he commented on this practice in no uncertain terms: “This trial, from which so happy a result had been anticipated was fatal to the greater part of the convicts…This absolute solitude…is beyond the strength of man. It destroys the criminal without intermission and without pity; it does not reform, it kills” (Clark, 2017). Today, the practice continues—with utmost severity.

The length of the confinement can vary depending on the reasons for the confinement, but usually the prisoner is confined for anywhere from 22 to 24 hours per day—and the stint can last for days to weeks, and longer in the case of some prisons. As Dimon (2014) notes, being cut off from all human contact “wreaks profound neurological and psychological damage, causing depression, hallucinations, panic attacks, cognitive deficits, obsessive thinking, paranoia, anxiety, and anger.” One Boston psychiatrist has noted that “even a few days of solitary confinement will predictably shift the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern towards an abnormal pattern characteristic of stupor and delirium” (Grassian, 2006, p....

330-331). For juveniles, the alteration of brain patterns is very troubling. Because juveniles are still in a developmental stage, suffering from solitary confinement can be especially damaging to their mental health. In many cases, it can lead to suicidal ideation and even to a teen’s suicide if the means of taking life are available. The Department of Justice reported that 60% of teens who committed suicide had a history of being held in confinement (Hayes, 2009). While correlation does not mean causation, it does indicate a relationship that should be concerning.
Why This Reform is Needed

Solitary confinement can certainly harm the teenage brain in numerous ways: delirium, cold sweats, episodes of panic and disorientation have all been described by juveniles who have been locked in solitary confinement (Dimon, 2014). It is considered a form of child abuse by Clark (2017) who points out how the “immaturity and vulnerability of the adolescent brain” (p. 350) makes it susceptible to damage from isolation for an extended period of time. The story of Kalief Brown is one such case: arrested for stealing a backpack when he was 16, Kalief was locked away for 3 years on Rikers Island—two of them in solitary confinement—all while awaiting a trial that never came. He was another case of a forgotten prisoner—but the torment of solitary confinement was what led him to attempt suicide multiple times. He finally succeeded two years after his release, after meeting Jay-Z and other celebrities who extended their support upon hearing of the miscarriage of justice and of the young man’s struggles. Kalief took his own life at his parents’ home—another statistic—another example of what so many other juveniles go through after being kept in solitary confinement for so long (Gonnerman, 2015).

For these reasons, there is a need for reform of the criminal justice system with regard to solitary confinement, particularly for juveniles. However, the problem exists for adults too—especially in supermax prisons. Gordon (2014) describes how these prisons are set up to cater to solitary confinement: “Demonstrating the trend toward solitary confinement’s increased role in the American penal system is the development of the ‘supermax’ prison. Supermaxes are prisons in which all prisoners are held in extreme isolation in long-term solitary confinement, often because the prison system deems them to be gang members” (p. 497). The prisoners are kept in total isolation, not even seeing their prison guards or being able to communicate to other prisoners through the walls, and the prison administrators are quite candid about their feelings, saying that some prisoners deserve to be “treated like animals” (Gordon, 2014, p. 497). In other countries, prisoners are treated humanely and allowed to rehabilitate by getting into contact with nature, taking leisurely strolls and taking part in support groups (Moore, 2011). In America, reform is badly needed because this type of inhumane treatment only serves to dehumanize both prisoners and guards, not to mention the society that permits it…