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