It is well documented that keeping an inmate in solitary confinement for long periods of times exacerbates mental illness, increases the risk of suicide, and creates a sense of hopelessness. In performing my research on this issue, I came across a program that was developed and implemented in Michigan by Warden Catharine Bauman and her staff at Algers Prison.

The “Incentives in Segregation” program, contains six stages that prisoners need to complete to work their way out of high security to a lower-security status. Advancement through each stage is contingent upon prisoners’ behavior. Prisoners could not act or speak threateningly or use inappropriate language or gestures towards staff or other prisoners and must keep their cells and themselves