Solitary Confinement In Prisons

Solitary confinement plays an important role in keeping prison guards and other inmates safe. If an inmate is placed in solitary confinement they most likely did something wrong or disrespectful to the prison, the prison guards or the other inmates. An inmate can also end up in solitary confinement if they are at risk of being injured by another inmate, keeping them separate and isolated keeps them safe. The practice of solitary confinement helps the inmate understand that their choices have consequences and if they behave and follow the rules they can prevent being punished. Others believe that solitary confinement is inhumane. Solitary confinement has been proven to cause severe psychological problems. Such as depression, suicide and mental …show more content…
Placing an inmate in solitary confinement and keeping them isolated from others is a good method to get them to understand that the choices they make in and out of prison, good or bad, will have consequences. “Prison administrators place inmates in solitary confinement for breaking prison rules, for getting involved in fights, for involvement in prison gang activity or behave poorly in prison, or are unable to understand or follow prison regulations due to a mental illness.” (Solitary Confinement: Should U.S.). Most of the time the inmates in solitary confinement act out violently and irrationally. Some of them act out because of a mental illness. These actions cause them to be punished in order to keep the prison guards and other inmates safe. “Some prisoners are so violent and unruly that they must be kept in solitary confinement for the safety of the prison guards and other inmates. Solitary Confinement also protects the subset of prisoners who tend to be victimized by the general prison population.” (Solitary Confinement: Should U.S.). Some of the inmates in prison must be kept in solitary confinement to keep themselves safe from other inmates. Placing a inmate in solitary confinement prevents them from acting violently towards another inmate or a prison guard. Therefore this article titled “Solitary Confinement: Should U.S. prisons continue to place inmates in solitary confinement?” …show more content…
Through tests and analysis it has been proven that solitary confinement causes severe psychological problems. Being isolated and locked in a cell for 23 hours or more a day causes inmates to become distraught and depressed. “Inmates in solitary are locked down in tiny cells, with nothing to do. They face crushing depression and anxiety. They scream and cry. They slash and bite their own flesh. They smear feces on the walls. They try to kill themselves with pens, with paper clips, with bed sheets, with the metal from their glasses. If they survive, they are often punished some more.” (Bill Lueders) Inmates in solitary confinement will do anything to get attention. Whether they have to spread their feces on the wall, inflict their own pain, or attempt to end their own lives. A inmate in solitary confinement just wants to be heard and understood. Another con of solitary confinement is that it costs more than regular imprisonment. The Department of Corrections has tried to cut the costs of solitary confinement by letting some inmates out quicker or by not placing a lot of inmates in solitary confinement. “In response to widespread budget shortfalls, some states have attempted to reduce the cost of running prisons, not only by releasing some prisoners early but also by reducing the number of prisoners in solitary confinement.” (Solitary Confinement: Should U.S.). The Department of Corrections spends more