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Jameson Kirkland Loreen Bessire English 2010-068 28 October, 2013 Solitary Confinement: A Psychological Investigation on Human Isolation Solitary confinement has been used since the early 19th century. In 1890 the U.S. Supreme Court declared solitary confinement unconstitutional because it was seen as an unnecessary additional punishment and was banned from use. Not until the 1970s as crime and prison population began to rapidly increase did the Supreme Court declare solitary confinement as constitutional once again. The public perception of prisoners shifted as they were seen as unwanted in society and the purpose of solitary confinement was misconstrued. Solitary confinement was intended to be used as a rehabilitation treatment and could be used for administrative, protective, and disciplinary purposes only. However today, many people argue that solitary confinement has become a form of cruel and unusual punishment. Solitary confinement is not only detrimental to the prisoner but to society itself as prisoners become debilitated and unable to be contributing members of society. Psychologists have done in-depth studies on isolation and how it affects the human psyche and the results have all concluded that it is punitive and not rehabilitating in any way. Prisoners with mental illnesses are frequently are unfairly sent into confinement and prisoners that have no previous mental illness have developed severe mental illness from time any time spent in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is wrong and has developed into a form of psychological torture. Solitary confinement uses such severe isolation that it is cruel and psychologically damaging. Psychologists have studied the effects of isolation on the psyche for decades. In solitary confinement the rooms are often windowless, eight foot by ten foot, concrete squares with a toilet

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and a cot. They spend nearly twenty four hours a day without any social interaction. With many mental illnesses these conditions dramatically increase and perpetuate the severity of the individuals symptoms. Reports of insanity, delusion, and extreme instability are linked to social isolation. The Center for Constitutional Rights reports on prisoners during confinement stating: Researchers have demonstrated that prolonged solitary confinement causes a persistent and heightened state of anxiety and nervousness, headaches, insomnia, lethargy or chronic tiredness, nightmares, heart palpitations, and fear of impending nervous breakdowns. Other documented effects include obsessive ruminations, confused thought processes, oversensitivity to stimuli, irrational anger, social withdrawal, hallucinations, violent fantasies, emotional flatness, mood swings, chronic depression, feelings of overall deterioration, as well as suicidal ideation. The research shows there are unaccounted affects of confinement that can be debilitating and unrecoverable. If prisoners are mentally ill and are involuntarily subjected to an environment that would cause them any one of the symptoms stated enforces the argument that solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners can spend one hour to over twenty years in that environment. The long term effects can be extremely damaging and solitary confinement must be re-evaluated. There is a consensus in the psychological field that the negative effects outweigh the legitimacy of confinement. The symptoms can be persistent and sometimes people are unable to recover. Another impending issue with solitary confinement is the distinctions are not clear as to when it is considered a necessity or an unfair punishment. Many inmates require special needs that are neglected because the prison system doesnt handle the mentally ill properly. A document published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness states, US prisons hold three times as many men and women with mental illnesses as are held in mental health hospitals. Instead of helping to

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rehabilitate the mentally ill prisoners in structured environments with people that specialize in the field, they are with police that have little to no trainings on how to respond to mentally ill prisoners. The police often view behavioral symptoms of mental disorders as acting out and send people into solitary confinement as a way to control them and repress their negative behavior. But people with mental illness can have a difficult time controlling their symptoms and often act out with negligent behavior in undesirable situations. For example, The Fifth Edition of the Diagnosis and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders describes behaviors of Mood Disorders stating, Individuals may become hostile and physically threatening to others and when delusional, may become physically assaultive or suicidal. If the individuals mood is more irritable than expansive, speech may be marked by complaints, hostile comments, or angry tirades. This is evidence that it is too difficult to regulate when confinement is being used properly and there is too much of a gray area to implement distinguishable policies for police to follow. A prisoner exhibiting that behavior would undoubtedly be sent into confinement and would therefore suffer the unfair psychological consequences. Researchers have proven that confinement has adverse psychological effects that can be severe to an individual and potentially irreversible. Psychologists have confirmed that an individuals need for stimulation on a social level is vital for people to live fulfilled lives and is often a tool for treatment. There are many therapy treatments that rely on social interaction as a means to help patients recover from many mental disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (CBGT) was recently studied by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health which states: CBGT consisted of exposure to simulated phobic events, cognitive restructuring of maladaptive thoughts, and homework for self-directed exposure and cognitive restructuring between sessions. CBGT patients were rated as more improved than controls and reported

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less anxiety before and during the behavioral test. At follow-up, CBGT patients also reported significantly fewer negative and more positive self-statements. This further explains the link between isolation and deterioration of the psyche and how social interaction is part of the intricate needs of a human being to thrive. As we dive deeper into understanding the psychology of isolation it becomes clear that it is more damaging than we realized. Social isolation can be a form or psychological torture. Solitary confinement disrupts natural human behaviors and should not be in use. Finally, Solitary confinement is detrimental for society because once prisoners have endured a certain amount of psychological torture it can be very difficult to rehabilitate them back to a healthy functioning state. Prisoners are released even more debilitated than when they entered and dont have the tools to change their lifestyle. They often recommit crimes and fall back in the same lifestyle that got them in prison in the first place. We need prisoners to be able to re-adapt and contribute to society. Solitary confinement conditions are so poor it decreases the chance a prisoner will make better choices. This causes a vicious cycle where inmates are caught in the revolving doors of the prison system. The U.S. government has made a statement on prisoners which concluded that two-thirds of former state prisoners were rearrested for crimes within three years. A lot of that can be attributed to the extreme isolation and loss of social skills and being able to readapt to social norms. The prisoners struggle to keep jobs, maintain meaningful relationships, and live a fulfilled life once theyve served their sentence. The prison system is not sustainable if we use solitary confinement because it is so deteriorating for a prisoners psyche they become detached from society and unable to contribute. In order to alleviate the pressures and overpopulation in the prison system, we should put prisoners in conditions to facilitate societal contribution and not debilitate prisoners by using solitary confinement and making prisoners unrecoverable, socially inept, and isolated hostages.

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When considering the history of solitary confinement, its initial purpose, and its use, it should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. That is a violation of the US Constitution. Understanding the psychological perspective on the debate is critical in making a fair and proper assessment. Political leaders, analysts, families, victims, psychologists, and prisoners find themselves asking the same question. There is enough evidence purely from a psychological perspective to support the thesis that solitary confinement should be banned from use. The effects of isolation have been clinically proven to be severely damaging and has a negative effect on the psyche. Many are volunteering their time to get their case heard in federal court but it hasnt quite gotten the attention and momentum it needs to reach that level of government. Many people believe that getting involved is the key to change. There are numerous ways to get involved such as contacting state representatives and voicing your opinion or contacting organizations such as the Center for Constitutional Rights. There are many people that are convicted of a crime, serve their sentence, and deserve a second chance. Solitary confinement has no place in our prison systems and there is psychological research to prove it.

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Works Cited American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th Edition. Arlington, VA. 2013. Print. Center for Constitutional Rights. Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. Crime In America. Crime in America. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Hemberg, Richard. Cognitive Behavioral Group Treatment for Social Phobia: Comparison with a Credible Placebo Control. National Institute of Mental Health. 1990. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI Facts Sheet. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.