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Kalief Browder English 11Professor Jillian HessMay 11, 2015

A Closer Look a !oliary Confine"en in he #nied !aes

$s soliary %onfine"en a good hel&f'l way o reha(iliae in"aes or is soliary %onfine"en only "aking "aers worse) !oliary %onfine"en is a &ra%i%e ha &rison offi%ials 'se in order o i"&ose &'nish"en on in"aes who (reak he &rison or *ail r'les+ $ is when an in"ae is &la%ed and %onfined in a %ell (y hi"self wiho' h'"an %ona% for a s&e%ifi% a"o'n of days or so"ei"es years o refle% on wha hey did o (reak he &rison or *ail r'les and ho&ef'lly %hange heir (ehaior+ -hen an in"ae is &la%ed in soliary %onfine"en (ooks, "aga.ines, &hone 'sage, isis and o'door re%reaion are li"ied and de&ending on wha *ail or &rison i is so"e of hese hings are &rohi(ied o he in"aes+

/he soliary %onfine"en &ra%i%e is ofen in %onfli% wih he eighh

a"end"en+ $nsead of soliary %onfine"en reha(iliaing in"aes here is eiden%e of i a%'ally %a'sing seere "enal &ro(le"s for in"aes and in he long r'n leaing he "enal disorders for heir fa"ilies o deal wih+$n he #nied !aes soliary %onfine"en was said o hae sared as an e&eri"en in he 1

h

%en'ry for he &'r&ose of &'nishing "is(ehaing in"aes and also reha(iliaing he"+ /he way soliary %onfine"en is (elieed o (e hel&f'l is ha he i"e s&en alone in s'%h %ir%'"san%es is a way for in"aes o refle% on he "is(ehaiors hey %ond'%ed in he *ail or &rison and %hange heir (ehaior+ A%%ording o !ory

“

/he firs insi'ion in he #! o e&eri"en wih isolaion was he -aln' !ree Jail in Philadel&hia, ('il a he end of he 1

h

%en'ry (y "e"(ers of he 3'aker Ch'r%h wih he o(*e%ie no *'s of &'nishing %ri"inals (' also of reha(iliaing he"+ /he "odel was 4'i%kly ado&ed (y he original A"eri%an &enieniaries, firs in Philadel&hia a Easern !ae and hen in A'('rn, ew 6ork a he (eginning of he 1h %en'ry7 895:;

.

-iho' soliary %onfine"en (eing f'lly esed as in he healh defe%s of i, he "odel soon (egan o s&read and oher &enieniaries sared following he radiion+ Howeer, "any healh defe%s were (eginning o &resen he"seles wihin in"aes who hae (een s'(*e%ed o soliary %onfine"en+ A%%ording o !ory

<As early as he 190s, re&ors had sared o "aeriali.e a(o' he ario's "enal disorders isolaed &risoners were ehi(iing+ /hese in%l'ded hall'%inaions, de"enia, and "ono"ania 895:;

.

By he lae 100=s soliary %onfine"en (egan o (e frowned '&on (e%a'se of he aderse "enal healh iss'es i %onin'ed o %a'se o in"aes and (y he early 100=s i was a(olished+Een wih he a(olish"en of soliary %onfine"en and he deelo&"ens of he "enal healh risk i i"&oses on in"aes he radiion of i did no %ease for long, (' again %onin'ed and (egan o s&read a%ross he #nied !aes+ Also a%%ording o !ory <Beginning in he 1>0s and &roliferaing "os syse"ai%ally oer he las 90 years, we hae seen a reial of he &ra%i%e of soliary %onfine"en in he #nied !aes as an in%reasingly long?er" and wide?rea%hing &ra%i%e+ !in%e he early 10s, he 'se of isolaion has %o"e o (e one of he fases?growing %ondiions of deenion, een e%eeding he e&ansion of he #! &rison syse" in general oer he sa"e &eriod7 895:;

.

/he rise in he 'se of soliary %onfine"en is (elieed o (e (ehind he %a'se of &rison iolen%e+ Prison iolen%e is des%ri(ed as "'li&le fa%ors s'%h as@ fighs, wea&on 'sage, gang iolen%e, se'al assa'ls, dr'gs, rios and oher heino's a%s+ A%%ording o !il(er"an <o'ine iolen%e a"ong in"aes o%%'rs as a res'l of dis&'es oer dr'gs, se, or ga"(ling de(s+ Prison gangs are ofen inoled d'e o %o"&eiion oer he

%onrol of he disri('ion of illegal dr'gs in &rison+ a%ial or ehni% ension ofen leads o gang iolen%e, in%l'ding se'al assa'l and "'rder7 81;

.

!o d'e o hese differen y&es of &rison iolen%e ha goes on, a large de(ae a(o' wheher soliary %onfine"en sho'ld (e a(olished or a leas li"ied hae (een (eing dis%'ssed and if a(olished how wo'ld hey deal wih he %onsisen &rison iolen%e) Eidenly in eery *ail or &rison here are always a gro'& or gro'&s of in"aes who are and end o %a'se seere har" o oher in"aes and %orre%ion offi%ers so wha oher alernaies do hey hae is in 4'esion+ As noed in

Solitary Confinement,

<!ri% soliary kee&s highly dangero's in"aes in %ondiions where hey=re less a(le o har" &rison saff or oher in"aes or ind'%e oher &risoners o %o""i iolen a%s7 8Kael :>;+ /here are sill a grea n'"(er of in"aes in soliary %onfine"en who aren= %onsidered hreas (' sen here for &'nish"en for so"ehing he or she "ay hae done regardless of how &ey i was+ A &rison offi%ial na"ed Aheron and noed in

Solitary Confinement

@ <!'&er"aes in "any saes hae e&anded (eyond heir inended &'r&ose, "aking wha sho'ld (e, in his iew, a sandard &rison?"anage"en ool a "aer of %onroersy+7 A lo of wardens were lo%king g'ys '& who were heada%hes (' "anagea(le 'nder nor"al %ir%'"san%es, <he says+ </ha=s a h'ge error7 8Kael :>;+ As a res'l "any in"aes 'ndergo "any 'nne%essary "enal healh &ro(le"s ha are lef '& o he" and heir fa"ily "e"(ers o deal wih and fi+ Many in"aes who go hro'gh hese &ro(le"s of (eing in soliary %onfine"en are now s'%k wih "enal healh iss'es and so"e don= een hae healh ins'ran%e o een end o heir %are+ /here are a lo of "enal iss'es wihin in"aes and e?in"aes ha se" fro" soliary %onfine"en as noed (y Co%krell < &hysi%al sy"&o"s are %hes &ains, weigh loss, diarrhea, di..iness, and faining+ /here are