Solitary confinement

For other uses, see Solitary confinement (disambiguation).

Solitary confinement cell in Jacques-Cartier Prison in Rennes, France
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Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to discipline or separate incarcerated individuals who are considered to be security risks to other incarcerated individuals or prison staff, as well as those who violate facility rules or are deemed disruptive.[1][2] However, it can also be used as protective custody for incarcerated individuals whose safety is threatened by other prisoners. This is employed to separate them from the general prison population and prevent injury or death.[3]

A robust body of research has shown that solitary confinement has profound negative psychological, physical, and neurological effects on those who experience it, often lasting well beyond one's time in solitary.[4] While corrections officials have stated that solitary confinement is a necessary tool for maintaining the safety and security of prisons and jails,[5] numerous medical, mental health, and legal professional organizations have criticized the practice and hold the view that it should be sharply curtailed.[6][7][8]

Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist, described solitary confinement as "the most forbidding aspect of prison life."[9] Human rights experts have stated that prolonged solitary confinement may amount to torture,[10] and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as the Mandela Rules) were revised in 2015 to prohibit placements in solitary for longer than 15 days.[11]

  1. ^ Lobel, Jules; Smith, Peter Scharff, eds. (2019). Solitary Confinement: Effects, Practices, and Pathways toward Reform. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-094792-7.
  2. ^ Browne, Angela; Cambier, Alissa; Agha, Suzanne (1 October 2011). "Prisons Within Prisons: The Use of Segregation in the United States". Federal Sentencing Reporter. 24 (1): 46–49. doi:10.1525/fsr.2011.24.1.46.
  3. ^ Bottos, Shauna (2007). Profile of Offenders in Administrative Segregation: A Review of the Literature (Report). Ottawa: Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada. Research Report No. B-39.
  4. ^ Haney, Craig (2018). "Restricting the Use of Solitary Confinement". Annual Review of Criminology. 1: 285–310. doi:10.1146/annurev-criminol-032317-092326. ISSN 2572-4568.
  5. ^ Mears, Daniel; Hughes, Vivian; Pesta, George B. (November 2021). "Managing Prisons Through Extended Solitary Confinement: A Necessary Approach or a Signal of Prison System Failure?". International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. 68 (1): 62–84. doi:10.1177/0306624X211058948. PMID 34784829. S2CID 244390888.
  6. ^ "Position Statement on Segregation of Prisoners with Mental Illness" (PDF). American Psychiatric Association. December 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Solitary Confinement as a Public Health Issue". American Public Health Organization. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  8. ^ Rawles, Lee (5 February 2018). "ABA House passes measure urging curbs on solitary confinement: 'This is inhumane'". ABAJournal. American Bar Association. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  9. ^ Gilmour, Andrew. "The Nelson Mandela Rules: Protecting the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty". UN Chronicle. United Nations. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference un.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) (General Assembly resolution (annex) A/RES/70/175). 17 December 2015. Rules 44, 45. Rule 44: For the purpose of these rules, solitary confinement shall refer to the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact. Prolonged solitary confinement shall refer to solitary confinement for a time period in excess of 30 consecutive days. Rule 45: (1) Solitary confinement shall be used only in exceptional cases as a last resort, for as short a time as possible and subject to independent review, and only pursuant to the authorization by a competent authority. It shall not be imposed by virtue of a prisoner's sentence. Archived 20 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine