Capital Punishment In Prisons

From its colonial days, the United States has long rich history of using capital punishment. Today, offenders facing the death penalty face different characteristics and challenges they every day in prison. Due to these challenges and characteristics they adjust to prison population in a different ways. Felons facing the death penalty also receive special services provided to them. Offenders facing the death penalty have numerous of challenges and characteristics that differ from the rest of the prison population. One of the challenges they face is from the state and how they are treated. In Virginia, according to TheGuardian.com, the federal appeals court is reviewing the states automatically holding of death row inmates in solitary confinement

Ultimately inmates facing death row are placed into cells by them cells compared to the general prison population (Reinhart, 2011). In the Northern Correctional Institute in Connecticut, death row prisoners receive two hours of recreation outside of their cell (Reinhart, 2011). They spend that time alone by themselves six days a week (Reinhart, 2011). Inmates facing death row also have the opportunity to have three non-contact visits per week (Reinhart, 2011). These visits are regulated to one hour each visit (Reinhart, 2011). When death row inmates are moving outside of their cells they are required to be escorted by prison staff (Reinhart, 2011). The prison staff must also use restraints (Reinhart, 2011). Restraints include handcuffs, legs irons, and tethered chains (Reinhart, 2011). Movements outside their cells include the shower room, recreation, social visitations, and phone calls (Reinhart, 2011). Once the inmate is in a secure location the prison staff can remove the restraints (Reinhart, 2011). Although, when the inmate has a visit from an attorney or make a medical or mental health visits the restraints must stay on and a prison staff is present at all times (Reinhart, 2011). The food death row inmates receive is the same quality and quantity that the general population eats (Reinhart, 2011). The only difference is death row inmates eat their meals with in the walls of their cells (Reinhart, 2011). Prison staff can resort to different meals if the inmate utilizes the food or food service equipment, for example trays, spoons, forks, and cups, in a harmful way towards the staff, other inmates, or themselves (Reinhart, 2011). Death row inmates, due to court decisions and correctional management policies, have access to different programs and services (Reinhart, 2011). At