Solitary Confinement In The Prison System

One major issue within the Prison system is, people who go to solitary confinement are more likely to have mental health problems, than someone who is not in solitary confinement and has social interactions, sunlight, normal meals, fresh air and a comfortable space to rest. Solitary confinement should be a last resort, not something you do as a slap on the wrist for something either unintentional or something very small. If an inmate has killed another, planned to kill another, started a gang or was part of one, and/or was viciously violent with one another, then they should be sent to solitary confinement. Otherwise, you’re basically telling the inmates, that every-little mistake that they make, they’re going to solitary confinement. In 2015, 85% of solitary confined inmates, made minor infractions to the rules of the prison. In the United States, …show more content…
A prisoner in segregated housing will generally spend 22 to 24 hours a day in a cell with scarce meaningful human contact or recreational activities. Cells are furnished with a bed, sink and toilet, but rarely much else. Food is delivered through a slot in the door, and each day inmates are allowed just one hour of exercise, in a cage. For a person who is already dealing with mental illnesses, isolation from the outside world is certainly not the best thing for them. Studies have shown that inmates who are already mentally ill, experience extreme cases of schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, which can evidently lead to suicide. In 2007, researchers inducted a study which showed the effects of a completely mentally healthy person, after being put into solitary confinement. Immediately, the test subjects started to feel completely secluded and within a few days, started hearing things that weren't there. They started sitting in the corners, not eating and doing obscene things with their feces and food. What they witnessed from the other inmates was even