What is Solitary Confinement?

My son has been in jail. His time was up two days ago, but the clerk of court made an error on his case and put down he was serving consecutive sentences instead of concurrent with his other case, so now we're waiting on his attorney, who has a motion in to fix the mistake.

A new prisoner was put in my son's room and was giving him trouble. My son mentioned it to me and I called the sergeant to please check on this. I was waiting for my son to call me the next day, but he never called, so I called the sergeant back and he told me my son was in confinement. My son is not a trouble maker. All this time I think he has been framed to keep him longer. Forget the C.O. They are the worst and good for nothing.

Solitary confinement is the same as roasting someone on a stick but very slowly and with enough distance that they live but are being burned every second. The state should not torture people.

I spent four months in solitary for made up allegations. I was so traumatized by it, I lied and confessed to a couple misdemeanors to get out. It should only be for completely evil people, like Charles Manson.

My daughter was supposed to come up for parole last month, and she did something she wasn't suppose to do; it was a minor thing that she did. So she got a thirty-day confinement and has to wait four months before she comes back up before parole board.

Then I hear that they can give her another six months because of the write up. What the heck is going on? She should have already been out. I feel like something is just not right. I am a very concerned and worried mother.

I believe SC should only be used for folks like Ridgeway or people who have done heinous crimes. Prisons and even jails are nothing more than a money-making corporation.

It is especially sad to see the kinds of people who fill those prison walls. As was mentioned in a few posts, these are mainly victim-less offenders. But what the heck, the district judge needs new leather interior for his Mercedes, so let's throw another addiction stricken drunk in jail for not paying his/her $2.000 fine on time. This system is so messed up, I do not even have words for it. Shame, shame, shame.

What kind of fool society not only punishes someone for their behavior while incarcerated, but then sees to it that they are made that much worse?

Of course they act out in the company of others they do not know and may be even worse than they are themselves! The best guarantee that same person will do something even worse is to directly release them into society straight from a period of solitary confinement.

Who do prison staff think benefits and why! This only compounds the problem. Wake up, wardens, and anyone else who might give a damn!

Solitary confinement may be okay in some situations. However, not all crimes deserve it and in some cases, it makes people more violent. It is over used.

If our criminal justice system went only after the real criminals, then solitary confinement is the perfect punishment. If a person murders, rapes (including child rape), robs, or victimizes a person in some other way; there is no more suitable punishment than locking them up in a small cell big enough only for a bed, toilet, sink, and desk. That will give prisoners little else to do than contemplate their crime.

Keeping real criminals in a dorm-like set up is dangerous and counter-productive on so many levels. First, prison rape, assault and contraband are big issues when you lock up a bunch of criminals and confine them all in the same room. It's like caging a bunch of dangerous sharks in the same single shark tank. Eventually the sharks will cause trouble among themselves.

Prisons that use solitary confinement less are not only less secure but have a much higher escape risk. When a person commits a crime against another, they become a danger to the public, and thus surrenders nearly all their rights and freedom to their jailers. And since the number one reason for prison is the containment and incapacitation of criminals, dorm-style imprisonment is not the most efficient practice to do this.

With that said, our current criminal justice system is broken in so many ways because we have so many in prison who are there for non-violent drug offenses, prostitution, or some other victimless "crime". It wouldn't make much sense to use solitary confinement on such low risk "offenders". In fact victimless "criminals" probably shouldn't be jailed in the first place. So I and many others don't necessarily support the expansion of solitary confinement until the prison system is reformed so that only real criminals end up in prison (murderers, rapists, robbers, etc.). Then it's not so much of an ethical issue because the solitary confinement is then just used for the real criminals who actually victimized someone. They deserve the maximum punishment so that when they are released they will be deterred enough not to do the crime again.

Some folks might say prison is not just for containment and punishment of the criminal, but also for rehabilitation. While I do agree with this, rehabilitation services can still be offered to those in solitary confinement. In fact, some super max prisons even offer education, either within their individual cells, or in actual classrooms where each prisoner is penned up in individual desk pod cages (Prisoners need to be restrained or confined somewhere at all times when outside their cells).

Now when discussing one of the worst crimes of murder or child rapists, there is no more just punishment for them than life in solitary confinement. Capital punishment even for murderers is still too cruel and unusual a punishment. It's better to lock up the murderer for life in solitary than let them escape their crimes through execution.

There are so many nonviolent drug offenders in prison. They don't deserve to be around murders,rapists, and racists.

They need to be isolated from other prisoners, but not trapped in their minds with little human contact. Daily drug rehabilitation programs, education, and a lot of reading would greatly benefit these inmates.

Solitary confinement would be a dream for me. tell me how to sign up. I hate being around people, whether you are a convict or law abiding. I prefer not to have to do something unethical to do it. I think i may not be human.

If anyone deserves to be in solitary confinement, it's those people who harm and prey on children.

Prison is for the purpose of correction of the person doing wrong, not making them worse! There is nothing in writing in our laws that says anyone who commits a crime surrenders his freedom to any institution.

No prison, nor the imperfect people running the prisons should have any power to mistreat (let alone abuse) an inmate! STDs, gangs, or violence are not good enough reasons to isolate a human without sunlight, fresh air, education and corrective regime (e.g Exercise drills similar to boot camp).

Face it: private prison owners have a money matter at risk. No criminals, no money! They want to create excuses to keep prisoners imprisoned! No matter what happens in lock up, extended sentences should also be illegal! As long as 'guards' are being allowed to bully prisoners, prisoners should also not receive extended time for lack of co-operation, spitting, cussing, fighting etc. It is not a crime to spit, throw feces or act out in isolation! It is isolation from society already.

Officers/Guards are the only example of proper behavior to these criminals. If they are abusing them, it is the guards that are creating a hate within prisoners for the free individuals of society. Either way, 'correctional' facilities are not correcting anything! They are creating monsters while someone else gets paid big money to keep them coming back!

Thank you for the information.

I must point out however that I am taken aback by the poor composition of the language in this piece. It makes me question the scholarship and reliability of the statements made here.

For example, "If a prisoner is placed in solitary confinement it is usually because they are a danger to other prisoners."

'They' needs to be substituted with 'he' or 'she.'

Thanks for your help and this consideration.

have you never woke up in the local jail after a big night on the town drunk? you don't have to be a monster to get in trouble with the police to get in jail nowadays. if you are drunk and they throw you up against the wall and start harassing you for nothing, if you so much as say a cuss word, they will jail you if they are bored.

If it's on a friday with a bank holiday monday you will be in a seven by six cell for five days, with no getting out of that cell.

I was in last week for fighting with my brother drunk, and it doesn't get any easier as that was the twentieth time, nothing serious guys -- that's in a 21 year period, but guys this is what people don't even want done to animals and they're dangerous right.

Don't say until you have tried it yourselves. Thanks for reading.

I know I would rather spend six weeks alone than six hours in with the general prison population of murderers and thugs. So I fail to see how this is barbaric punishment.

Most people are afraid to be alone. However isn't solitary better than being in a room with murderers, sexual offenders or arsonists, if for example you are in for, say, fraud. Surely aloneness is better than being beaten up by a hardcore offender.

Solitary confinement is a worse punishment than death. Politicians who support solitary confinement(and all the abuse that comes attached) should all be subject to a "six week solitary camp" so they can experience the inhumane environment for themselves before they impose it on anyone, yes even a dangerous criminal!

Paying your debt to society and your victim should be about acknowledgement of your wrong doing, labor intensive work to rehabilitate your thinking and behavior! But never, ever should a human being be imprisoned to create a numb, mindless monster that will be an even bigger problems in society once released!

*Abolish solitary confinement!*

I think it would be better if long prison sentences were replaced with shorter term solitary confinement. When a person commits a crime, they surrender their freedom to the institution that will imprison them.

If there is a victim in a crime it only makes sense that the convicted get the toughest possible punishment: near 24/7 confinement with only a jumpsuit to wear.

Solitary confinement is actually a more efficient form of punishment because less time in total solitary confinement adds up to more useful punishment time than prisoners in general public.

Not only this, but if prisoners are not allowed to leave their cells there would be less prison fights, rapes, contraband and the like. Gang activity would decrease dramatically since gang members will not be allowed time out of their cells with fellow gang members.

The prisoner should still be treated humanely but the inmate does not deserve to leave his or her cell. I do think inmates should be allowed all the amenities in their cell like books, tvs, even computers if it can be afforded. And good food too. That way staying confined all the time wouldn't be so bad.

So yeah, solitary confinement is the ultimate punishment, it will very much deter people from doing the crime since no one would want to stay confined in one cell for such a long time.

I feel the prison system in this country has a tremendous amounts of pressures heaped upon it and deals with this unpleasant situation in an efficient manner.

If a person is convicted, that person surrenders his or her freedom. If they don't have the wherewithal to show they are going to correct their bad choices in life, they lose more and more until they wind up in solitary confinement. It's a better course of action than capital punishment. It may be, in its purest form, a fitting punishment for even the worst of crimes.

Solitary confinement should be used for all prisoners who have no history of poor mental health and in a more responsible manner by our justice system. By doing this, it would decrease the amount of people being re-incarcerated and would seriously cut down on prison violence, in prison drug use, and the spread of STDs inside of prison.

I couldn't imagine having to spend one year in by myself, let alone five. In my opinion it's worse than torture, I mean that's like keeping an animal locked up in a small room. We humans are still animals as we sometime seem to forget. I just don't think it's right. I tried thinking about staying in a cell for 20 years with no human contact and it's a pretty dark reality. I think we should better means of confining prisoners instead of driving them mad.

Solitary confinement is over used. It has become cruel and unusual punishment and should be much more carefully regulated.