The Negative Effects Of Solitary Prisonation In Prisons
explanatory Essay
1427 words
Thousands of people statewide are in prisons, all for different reasons. However, the amount of mental illness within prisons seems to go unaddressed and ignored throughout the country. This is a serious problem, and the therapy/rehabilitation that prison systems have do not always help those who are mentally ill. Prison involvement itself can contribute to increased suicide (Hills, Holly). One ‘therapy’ that has increased throughout the years has been the use of solitary confinement, which has many negative effects on the inmates. When an inmate has a current mental illness, prior to entering into the prison, and it goes undiagnosed and untreated, the illness can just be worsened and aggravated. Mental illness can be described in a variety …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Opines that mental illness in prisons goes unaddressed and ignored throughout the country. prison involvement itself can contribute to increased suicide.
- Describes mental illness as impairment of an individual's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning caused by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic or other factors, such as infection or head trauma. overcrowding is a complex phenomenon.
- Explains that super-max prisons use solitary confinement as both a form of punishment and therapy.
- Explains that solitary confinement can cause anxiety, depression, anger, cognitive turmoil, hallucinations, obsession, and fixation. it is inhumane and should be called torture.
- Explains that death row inmates are often overlooked in the mental health area, as they suffer from brain trauma, physical and/or sexual abuse. james johnson, a vietnam veteran, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
- Explains gallemore and panton's 1972 study of death row inmates showed high feelings of depression and hopelessness, yet severe disturbances were not observed.
- Opines that inmates/offenders entering into the prison system need to be screened for mental health and substance abuse disorders. screenings would help identify individuals who could potentially hurt or endanger themselves and others.
- Explains that some prisons have rehabilitation programs for inmates that need it, but the therapy sometimes doesn't help. brandy lee's strict program in san francisco jails reduced violent re-offences by over 50 percent.
- Opines that medication can help inmates with severe mental illnesses, but staff won't try to offer different medication or therapy if an inmate refuses it. treatment for those who are mentally ill needs to be more serious in prisons.
- Explains that the eighth amendment applies to inmates with severe mental illnesses. it is not acceptable or humane to not give the proper treatment to those who are mentally ill or mentally unstable.
- Opines that prison systems need to be more mindful and aware of those with severe mental illnesses because it affects everybody, not just the inmates.
- Opines that all prisons need to take mental illnesses more seriously. solitary confinement is a dangerous way of therapy, and tends to only have negative effects on the inmate.
Solitary confinement does not help challenging prisoners in the long run. Solitary confinement actually has the potential to cause inmates to lose their ability to control and manage their anger. If an inmate continues to be violent, the result is a longer time in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is inhumane and should be called torture. Putting and keeping an individual in solitary confinement puts them at a very serious risk of developing a mental illness, which may not be recoverable. Solitary confinement causes many effects that range in severity; it is not something that inmates should be subjected to …show more content…
Inmates/offenders entering into the prison system need to be screened for mental health and substance abuse disorders. Screening and evaluations for mental illnesses would help to identify individuals who could potentially hurt or endanger themselves and others. Screenings would also help to determine if an inmate is able to function in the prison system or not. If the inmate cannot function in the prison system then it could help to see if should be transferred to a mental health facility. Mental health and substance abuse screenings are beneficial for many reasons and need to be put into prisons and jails. Although, some prisons do have some rehabilitation programs for the inmates that need it, the therapy sometimes does not help. More than half of prisoners reoffend within at least three years of leaving prisons. Those who reoffend tend to have more severe and more aggressive offenses than previously. A man by the name of Brandy Lee has shown that by having a very strict program in prisons with violent offenders in San Francisco jails reduced the amount of violence in jails. The program also helped to reduce the rate of violent re-offences after leaving the jail by over 50
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- Solitary Isolation In Prisons On The Prison Systemexplanatory essayStarting off as just an experiment, solitary confinement soon started being used throughout prison systems everywhere and eventually led to the expansion of research on how it affects the brain and natural human behavior patterns (Public). The living conditions and periods of time in which inmates are put into isolation have been proven to cause physical and pathological damage during and after they are released from their sentence. Isolation in prisons has become a widespread controversy talked about by many people including President Obama at the NAACP convention who made remarks similar to those of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who stated that “solitary confinement literally drives men mad” (Lueders). Solitary confinement
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement in the u.s. prison system affects the brain and mind which can lead to behavioral changes and mental illness.
- Explains that the united states began experimenting with solitary confinement over 200 years ago based on the belief that silence and solitude would motivate inmates to live a socially responsible life once they were released from prison.
- Explains that inmates are handcuffed, shackled at the waist, and placed in leg irons. they are not allowed to read, watch television, listen to radio, or engage in any other activities without permission and supervision.
- Explains that the united states has a higher incarceration rate than any other nation and exposes more people to solitary confinement.
- Explains that sensory deprivation leads to extreme prison psychosis, such as uncontrollable rage and paranoia, which sends a human time bomb into the community once the inmate is released.
- Explains that solitary confinement disrupts natural human behavior patterns and prevents violence in the general prison population.
1187 wordsRead More - Solitary Imprisonment In The Prison Systemanalytical essayIntroduction Imprisonment has been on the rise throughout the United States in recent years, with a 500% increase in number of incarcerations over the past thirty years. In the United States Federal Prison System, solitary confinement is known as the Special Housing Unit (SHU) typically found in the growing trend of “Supermax” prisons. Solitary confinement is a form of disciplinary punishment used by prison systems in most states in which a prisoner is placed in a separate cell in complete isolation for 22-24 hours a day. These prisoners typically spend a few days at most in isolation, although other circumstances require that an inmate be isolated for prolonged periods. Long-term isolation, typically lasting months to years, occurs when administrators consider certain inmates at risk of escaping or disturbing order in the prison.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement is a form of disciplinary punishment used by prison systems in most states.
- Argues that solitary confinement in the u.s. prison system is an expensive, inhumane imprisonment practice that violates the eighth amendment.
- Explains that the severity of negative effects on prisoners in solitary confinement can be investigated using prison studies focusing on the mental health and lack of activity of prisoners
- Explains that solitary confinement results in feelings of deprivation and frustration, which push inmates over the breaking point and are amplified when they are left alone.
- Argues that solitary confinement is the most useful tool for correctional officers in maintaining order and safety within the prison.
- Explains that solitary confinement is an expensive practice that requires an expanded prison budget, and states are willing to keep these facilities open because the correctional officers voice that this form of segregation is essential to maintaining safety.
- Explains that correctional officers are under the impression that they need to fill the solitary confined cells to validate their presence.
- Explains that prisons often believe that solitary confinement is necessary to prevent the death penalty.
- Explains that some prisons view solitary confinement as a short-term solution to controlling disruptive or violent behavior because they lack the resources to provide positive incentives or programming.
1363 wordsRead More - The Harmful Effects Of Long Harm Segregation In Prisonsanalytical essayThe Harmful Effect of Long-term Segregation in Prisons If a person convicted of a crime shows no signs of being mentally ill when entering a prison which enforces the long-term use solitary confinement, by the time they completed their sentence and are released, their mental health will have been severely compromised. Studies have shown that the long-term use of segregation in prisons can cause a wide variety of phycological effects such as anxiety, psychosis, depression, perceptual distortions, and paranoia, often leading to a desire to self-harm or in more severe cases suicide. Not only is it wrong to hold a criminal in solitary confinement for any longer then fifteen days, it is unconstitutional. Although many believe the use of solitary
In this essay, the author
- Explains the harmful effects of long-term solitary confinement in prisons, including anxiety, psychosis, depression, perceptual distortions and paranoia, leading to a desire to self-harm or suicide.
- Explains that solitary confinement is confined to a small cell, with no windows or view of the outside world, and with limited access to fresh air or the outdoors.
- Explains that administrative confinement has been used for a brief period of time, but administrative segregation has lasted for up to six years. bill c-56 of the corrections and conditional release act and the abolition of early parole act set presumptive release by 21 days.
- Explains that solitary confinement has a negative impact on the health and well-being of prisoners, especially for those with pre-existing mental health disorders.
- Argues that solitary confinement violates the charter of rights and freedoms, including the right to life, liberty, and security of the person in prison.
- Opines that the passing of bill c-56 is a step in the right direction, allowing for there to be rules in regards to segregation.
1018 wordsRead More - Research Paper On Solitary Confinementanalytical essaySolitary confinement has the ability to shatter even the healthiest mind when subjected to indefinite lockdown, yet the mentally ill, who are disproportionately represented in the overall prison population, make up the majority of inmates who are held in that indefinite lockdown. Within your average supermax prison in which all inmates are subjected to an elevated form of solitary confinement, inmates face a 23-hour lockdown, little to no form of mental or physical stimulation that is topped off with no human interaction beyond the occasional guard to inmate contact. It is no wonder ‘torture’ is often used synonymously to describe solitary confinement. For years, cases arguing against solitary confinement have contested against its inhumane
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the americans with disabilities act (1990) should be cited for solitary confinement, specifically for the mentally ill.
- Explains the detrimental effects of solitary confinement on non-mentally ill inmates, but it is still considered necessary to maintain control within the prison.
- Argues that solitary confinement, especially within supermax prisons, is defined by its long stays and it is through these lengthy stays that ‘prisoner reform’ is said to be achieved.
- Explains that the supreme court has yet to definitively state whether or not solitary confinement is unconstitutional.
- Explains that farmer v. brennan's two-part test found that conditions within the shu met the requirements to constitute the solitary confinement practice as "cruel and unusual".
1033 wordsRead More - Solitary Confinement and the Effects on Inmatesnarrative essaySolitary Confinement and the Effects on Inmates Solitary confinement is a mandated arrangement set up by courts or prisons which seek to punish inmates by the use of isolated confinement. Specifically, solitary confinement can be defined as confinement in which inmates that are held in a single cell for up to twenty-three hours a day without any contact with the exception of prison staff (Shalev, 2011). There are several other terms which refer to solitary confinement such as, administrative segregation, supermax facilities (this is due to the fact that supermax facilities only have solitary confinement), the hotbox, the hole, and the security housing unit (SHU). Solitary confinement is a place where most inmates would prefer not to go. There are many reasons for this.
In this essay, the author
- Cites andersen, sestoft, d., lillebaek, t.
- Explains that solitary confinement is a mandated arrangement set up by courts or prisons which seek to punish inmates by the use of isolation.
- Opines that mental health professionals have a fine line to work with because of medical ethics. inmates who are mentally ill need to be addressed and moved out of solitary confinement.
- Describes grassian, friedman, haney, and shalev's views on solitary confinement and mental illness in u.s.
2039 wordsRead More - The Effects of Solitary Confinementargumentative essaySolitary confinement is a penal tactic used on inmates who pose a threat to themselves or other inmates. Solitary confinement is type of segregated prison in which prisoners are held in their cell for 22-24 hours every day. If they are allowed to leave their cell, they will silently walk shackled and in between two guards. They can only leave for showers or exercise. Their exercise and shower are always done alone and inside. They can exercise in fenced in yards surrounded by concrete. Solitary confinement is either used as a punishment for prison behaviors, a protection method for targeted inmates, or a place to keep prisoners who are a threat to the general prison population. Many prisoners are put in Administrative Segregation for their protection. Many prisoners in this type of segregation are teenagers, homosexuals, and mentally ill prisoners. Many mentally ill prisoners are sent to solitary confinement because there are not rehabilitation services available, and prison officials have run out of options (Shalev, 2008, p [1-2]). Solitary confinement is a convenient method for prison systems, but the detrimental effects on inmates make it an unsuitable option for inmate control.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement is a penal tactic used on inmates who pose threats to themselves or others.
- Describes the pennsylvania system as a method of imprisonment based on the principle that solitary confinement reforms prisoners.
- Describes the auburn system, which was used in the 19th century. it had a strict policy of silence at all times and was an alternative to the pennsylvania system.
- Explains how the supreme court realized that solitary confinement was not working and created the cincinnati declaration of principles, which stated that prisons should focus on rehabilitation and release inmates when they are ready.
- Explains that the elmira reformatory was a new model for prisons that treated inmates individually and focused on rehabilitation until the 1970s, when the crime control model became more important.
- Analyzes the symptoms of being held in solitary confinement and other forms of isolation, including disorientation, hallucinations, panic attacks, hypersensitivity to stimuli, memory loss, aggressive thoughts, paranoia, and self-control.
- Explains that solitary confinement is putting economic strains on federal and state prisons.
- Explains that the 8th amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. prison officials must be deliberately indifferent to harm caused by the action or condition.
- Explains that about 30,000 inmates began a hunger strike to protest inhumane treatment in solitary confinement. the main issue was indifinite terms in the security housing unit.
- Explains that in the new york city prison system, about 14.4% of teenagers age 16-18 are in solitary confinement while waiting for a trial.
- Explains how gabriel corfas conducted a study on social isolation in young mice.
- Explains that inmates lack fresh air and sunlight and are subject to inactivity. they experience heart palpitations, diaphoresis, insomnia, joint pain, poor appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, weakness, fatigue, uncontrollable shaking, feeling cold, and exacerbating previous medical problems.
- Opines that solitary confinement should be used only in extreme circumstances with incorrigible inmates. minors and mentally disabled prisoners shouldn't be put in juvenile facilities; this will keep them safer and less mentally detrimental.
- Recommends a less isolating version of solitary confinement for inmates that are deemed too dangerous to be put in the general prison population.
2046 wordsRead More - The Pros And Cons Of Solitary Confinement In Prisonsanalytical essaySolitary Confinement is a type of isolation in prison which a prisoner is segregated from the general population of the prison and any human contact besides the prison employees. These prisons are separated from the general population to protect others and themselves from hurting anyone in the prison. These prisoners are deprived of social interaction, treatments, psychologist, family visits, education, job training, work, religious programming and many other services prisoners might need during the sentence of their imprisonment. There are roughly 80,000 prisoners in solitary confinement but 25,000 are in long term and supermax prisons. According to the Constitution, “The Eighth Amendment [...] prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishment”(US Const. amend. VIII). Solitary confinement is suppose to be the last straw for inmates to be in. If they don 't follow it, they can be on death row. Taxpayers pay roughly $75,000 to $85,000 to keep prisoners in solitary confinement. That is 3 times higher than the normal prisons that taxpayers pay for them to be in prison. Solitary confinement was established in 1829 in Philadelphia for experimentation because officials believed it was a way for
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement is a type of isolation in prison where prisoners are segregated from the general population to protect themselves from hurting anyone in the prison.
- Explains that solitary confinement can have long-term effects due to the amount of stress the prisoners go through in those cells.
- Opines that taxpayers pay $85,000 a year to keep inmates in prison, which is money that can be used to build schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc.
- Explains that the conditions of solitary confinement cells are brutal and dangerous for normal people outside of jail.
- Analyzes how prisoners can become violent while in isolation, clogging their toilets or using their blood to cover up the window, and ruin the furniture provided.
- Argues that solitary confinement is an impressive way to keep inmates in prisons without hurting anyone and themselves, but it should be made illegal because it is not fair to humans and not animals.
1530 wordsRead More - Prison System : Solitary Confinementanalytical essayThroughout life we all live through moments that change who we are; mentally, physically and psychologically. These moments can be, huge and defining or something as small as whether we leave our house or just stay home on a certain day. For some, we find ourselves looking back, and not even realizing the power of the decision we made and how it brought us to who we are now. For others, the decisions we made lead to obvious outcomes. A prime example of this is a criminal. Though, he or she might not have known or thought they would get caught, the acts they voluntarily proceeded in, are illegal and the one and only future they ultimately have is jail or prison. Within the prison system, criminals are faced with these same decisions, but the punishment will have much more detrimental effects than any other decision: solitary confinement. This brings me to my main point. Contrary to many may think, it is not just a myth that solitary confinement can and will have extremely detrimental psychological and social effects on any human being, criminal or not.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that solitary confinement can and will have detrimental psychological and social effects on any human being, criminal or not.
- Explains that for most prisoners, solitary confinement is the worst and most unhealthy place one could be sent.
- Explains that many leaders believe that crime is the result of environment, and that solitude will make the criminal regretful and penitent. why does our criminal justice system place all criminals in the exact same environment?
- Explains that solitary confinement can take an extreme toll on prisoners psychologically, which leads to worse acts to others or themselves.
- Explains that mental or psychological is the biggest toll a person in solitary confinement will face. the brain can do numerous unbelievable things, such as, seeing or hearing things that aren't there.
- Explains that solitary can cause a specific psychiatric syndrome, characterized by hallucinations, panic attacks, overt paranoia, diminished impulse control, hypersensitivity to external stimuli, and difficulties with thinking, concentration and memory.
- Explains that durkheim's theory of suicide suggests that there is a scale of integration that we all fall on. suicides within prison, will fall into both, egoistic and fatalistic.
- Explains that inmates who spend time in solitary confinement are more likely to self harm with cutting, biting, hitting, bruising oneself, picking or pulling at skin or hair.
- Analyzes how society treats criminals as if they aren't real people because everyone else in society gives off this stigma.
- Analyzes mizruchi and fein's article "the social construct of organizational knowledge: a study of the uses of coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphism."
- Opines that the social construction of this widespread stigma, that criminals are not real people, has led to the keepings of solitary confinement within the prison system.
1338 wordsRead More - Solitary Confinement: Pro, Pros And Cons Of A Prison Within Prisonsopinionated essaySolitary confinements are a prison within prisons, that isolates inmates from the rest of the world. Solitary confinement was originally founded by the Quakers and Anglicans in the early 1800s, in Philadelphia. The purpose of solitary confinement when the Quakers and Anglicans first created it, was to give the inmates the opportunity to get the chance to find Christ (Biggs 2017). Now the purpose of solitary confinement is to serve as punishment for criminals that are killers or cause a problem within the prison. Inmates in solitary confinement sit in a cell that is 80 square feet for 22-23 hours a day, with 1 hour of free time without human contact (Breslow 2014). One side believes solitary confinement is a good and a easy way to protect society
In this essay, the author
- Explains that solitary confinement is a prison within prisons, that isolates inmates from the rest of the world.
- Opines that solitary confinement should be abolished because of its long-term effects.
- Argues that solitary confinement should be abolished because it goes against one's human rights. correctional officers attack inmates they don't like by forcing them to stay in a cell.
- Explains that solitary confinement is more than just an isolation suggestion for inmates, it is a way to make money off of them.
- Opines that solitary confinement protects other inmates and correctional officers, but isolating someone in a cell for several months and extended amount of hours is not the correct way.
- Opines that solitary confinement is inhumane and should be abolished because of the problems it causes and the amount of money it costs.
- Cites belluck, pam, "mentally ill inmates at risk in isolation, lawsuit says."
- Explains breslow, jason m., "what does solitary confinement do to your mind?" public broadcasting service.
- Quotes buser, mary e., "solitary's mockery of human rights." washington post, 06 apr, 2014, pp. a.21, sirs issues researcher.
- Explains kaba, fatos, et al., "solitary confinement and risk of self-harm among jail inmates." american journal of public health.
- Explains human rights watch's "us: look critically at widespread use of solitary confinement."
- Cites wihbey, john, and denise-marie ordway. solitary confinement in prisons: key data and research findings.
1577 wordsRead More - Solitary Confinement Pros And Consanalytical essayPrisoners are put into solitary confinement for two reasons, for disciplinary purposes or for protection. Our argument is, is a life sentence of solitary confinement a cruel and unusual punishment. A life sentence of solitary confinement means the isolation of a prisoner between 22-24 hours a day in a separate cell as a punishment, with a sentence ranging from days to years. There are 80,000 Americans currently held in solitary confinement. We believe a life sentence of solitary confinement is not a cruel and unusual punishment . We believe this because we think some people don't change after they are released from solitary confinement .Yes we understand that Solitary confinement can be cruel but it is better than killing the person
In this essay, the author
- Argues that a life sentence of solitary confinement is cruel and unusual, but it is better than killing the person that did the crime.
- Explains that solitary confinement provides an added level of protection for the public by keeping prisoners who are more likely to commit crimes away from others.
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