In January of 2015, Barack Obama issued an executive order banning the use of solitary confinement as a disciplinary tool for juveniles in federal prisons. The President explained his decision, and discussed his understanding of the consequences of solitary, in a Washington Post Op-Ed that same month. Obama wrote that solitary confinement, “has the potential to lead to devastating, lasting psychological consequences”, and that subjecting inmates to unnecessary and prolonged solitary is “an affront to our common humanity” (Obama, 2016). While an important first step, Obama’s executive order fell far short of the action necessary to abolish a practice that has been repeatedly proven both cruel and ineffective.
According to Solitary Watch, an …show more content…
Unfortunately, however, the kind of prolonged isolation that so many Americans are subjected to can have devastating psychological effects, including depression, inability to control or maintain one’s strain of thought, violent contemplations, and suicidal thoughts. The havoc that solitary wreaks on an inmate’s mind and emotions makes it largely indistinguishable from psychological torture. Moreover, the long-term effects of solitary confinement often leave inmates severely traumatized, and make reintegrating into society immensely challenging. This paper will argue that the widespread use of prolonged solitary confinement in the United States must be abolished, as the practice is torturously cruel, and routinely works to harm those subjected to it with little benefit to the prison community at …show more content…
Additionally, solitary inmates have frequently reported “confused thought processes, violent fantasies, emotional flatness, mood swings, chronic depression, [and] feelings of overall deterioration” (Center for Constitutional Rights). Kalief Browder and Bobby Dellelo, both of whom spent years in solitary confinement, reported a number of similar issues. Kalief Browder was sent to Rikers Island at 16, after being accused of stealing a backpack. A victim of the immense New York City criminal justice bureaucracy, Browder never stood trial, and was never found guilty of any crime (Winerip & Schwirtz, 2015). He repeatedly refused to plead guilty in exchange for a plea bargain, and spent three years on Rikers
According to Solitary Watch, an …show more content…
Unfortunately, however, the kind of prolonged isolation that so many Americans are subjected to can have devastating psychological effects, including depression, inability to control or maintain one’s strain of thought, violent contemplations, and suicidal thoughts. The havoc that solitary wreaks on an inmate’s mind and emotions makes it largely indistinguishable from psychological torture. Moreover, the long-term effects of solitary confinement often leave inmates severely traumatized, and make reintegrating into society immensely challenging. This paper will argue that the widespread use of prolonged solitary confinement in the United States must be abolished, as the practice is torturously cruel, and routinely works to harm those subjected to it with little benefit to the prison community at …show more content…
Additionally, solitary inmates have frequently reported “confused thought processes, violent fantasies, emotional flatness, mood swings, chronic depression, [and] feelings of overall deterioration” (Center for Constitutional Rights). Kalief Browder and Bobby Dellelo, both of whom spent years in solitary confinement, reported a number of similar issues. Kalief Browder was sent to Rikers Island at 16, after being accused of stealing a backpack. A victim of the immense New York City criminal justice bureaucracy, Browder never stood trial, and was never found guilty of any crime (Winerip & Schwirtz, 2015). He repeatedly refused to plead guilty in exchange for a plea bargain, and spent three years on Rikers