Solitary Confinement Research Paper

When I hear the words “solitary confinement,” I automatically get the feeling that it’s not very good. The first thing that comes to my teenage mind is the SHU, or security housing unit, in the Netflix original Orange is the New Black. The SHU in the show is a place that gives the viewers an idea of the effects of solitary confinement on the prisoner. The inmates’ reactions to the SHU lets the viewers understand that it’s a place that changes a person in a negative way. It even showcases the guards’ tendencies to abuse their power and threaten the inmates with time in the SHU if they didn’t behave, which is something that’s actually happening in today’s world. At first, the SHU was spoken about in the show as if it’s some unknown world full of their worst nightmares, but later on, we get an inside look on what the conditions are like in the SHU when the main character, Piper, gets sent in there. From what I saw, it was difficult to figure out how much time has passed and it became clear that Piper’s state of mind was going in a downward spiral after some time in the SHU. I know that this is just a fictional TV show, but I can assume that it …show more content…
I learned that prisoners aren’t just put into a cell by themselves for a long period of time like how it is in Orange is the New Black. The prisoners are sometimes assaulted and are left to rot by themselves for a very long time, in some cases, people have been confined for decades. I learned that solitary confinement isn’t just a place people are sent to for “behavioral issues.” I now know that solitary confinement is a form of torture and that we should all acknowledge that. I also know that a lot of the prisoners put into solitary confinement don’t belong there. They’re mainly people with mental health problems or sometimes even just burdens to the wardens. I learned so much and I do have more questions to ask about this interesting topic but for now, I am