Arguments Against Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement Solitary confinement has been around for centuries, which may have started in the early 1800s. The purpose of solitary confinement is to segregate individuals who have committed horrendous crimes, put other inmates' lives in danger, and possibly breaking a rule while being incarcerated. Solitary confinement isolates inmates in small units, inmates are usually isolated for 23 hours a day, ranging from weeks, months, and even years. Inmates serving time in solitary confinement for long periods of time either adapt and better themselves while others undertake stress, anxiety, and depression, overall mentally break down. Solitary confinement is harsh and feeble, as a result harming individuals psychologically is inhumane, solitary needs to be amended, not to mention these isolated units increase the taxpayers money abundantly; however a partial amount of the population regard isolation as a solution …show more content…
Obama explains how “Reforming solitary confinement is just one part of a broader bipartisan push for criminal justice reform”. (Barack Obama.) Solitary confinement will need to be a bipartisan push, both parties need to work together in order to amend isolation. According to Reiter “ A year in solitary averages $75,000 per prisoner–about three times the average cost of incarceration”. (Reiter Keramet.) Taxpayers pay 75,000 dollars a year for one prisoner to be isolated? How much more ridiculous can it get, there are top tier colleges that cost significantly less, or just about the same amount for a full year in college. Sure, there are few successful cases where inmates who were in solitary confinement overcame their criminal pasts, but the matter of fact is isolating those who are incarcerated cost much of the taxpayers