Extraordinary Confinement In Prisons

Super maximum security (supermax) prisons, where solitary confinement is standard procedure, were built with the idea that criminals could be rehabilitated by isolating them from society and from each other. These ideas came around in the early 19th century, and criticism came along with it. Among the ones who disagreed with the idea, was well-known author Charles Dickens, who went to visit one of the early prisons and stated that the slow decay of the mind that these prisoners were experiencing was worse than any other bodily torture (Mears, Mancini, Beaver, and Gertz). These inhumane ways were abolished and new ideas on how to deal with criminals were experienced with. There are many different views on this topic, victims of crimes say that inmates deserve this extreme isolation, while those who protect human …show more content…
They tend to commit minor infractions which include talking back, forgetting to show up to work, or for not returning a food stray (Cloud). In addition, a little mistake caused by their illness can get them locked up in isolation. “Nearly a third of people housed in segregation units have one or more preexisting psychiatric conditions” (Cloud). This proves that guards and wardens are not trained to work with these types of inmates so instead of seeking help for them, they lock the mentally ill in solitary confinement thus worsening their condition. However, the mentally ill are not the only ones acquainted with solitary confinement. “Because of housing policies and inadequate programming, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals; pregnant women; and people with infectious diseases may find themselves in solitary confinement solely because of their identity or medical condition” (Cloud). Most prisons are overcrowded and understaffed; they have very limited resources and this leads to unjust