Solitary Confinement In The Modern Day Prison System

Solitary confinement is defined as a form of imprisonment where an inmate is separated from other inmates and/ or human contact for over 20 hours a day for days, weeks, months, or even years. This practice has been used widely throughout the United States for many decades in an effort to separate highly dangerous inmates from causing harm to other inmates or themselves. Whether or not solitary confinement is useful in the prison system is up for debate but the effects it leaves on the inmates is a concern for many states. By taking a look at what solitary confinement is, examining the phycological effects of the imprisonment, and discussing the legality of the punishment we may be able to draw a better conclusion on whether or not this practice should still be used in the modern day prison system. Solitary confinement can be described as a form of punishment in a prison system where inmates are sent to a private room with no windows and no outside contact with other humans or inmates except prison guards. These prisoners are only let out of their cell for one hour a day; leaving them locked up the other twenty three hours. Correctional facilities rely on three different types of solitary confinement. These different “levels” are all based on the inmates behavior; which determines how long the prisoner is left in confinement. The …show more content…
The criminal justice system is more concerned with what aspect of solitary confinement causes the worst effects on the prisoner. These aspects could be the isolation from human interactions, lack of windows, or the act of only being let out for one hour a day. Confinement also controls gang activity within the prison. Vicious and aggressive members of gangs can be locked up in order to deescalate certain