Pros And Cons Of Solitary Confinement

Solitary confinement is the imprisonment of a person in an incredibly small cell with little to no human contact each day. This practice forces prisoners to be alone for extended amount of time; instead, they must dwell in tiny cells with no windows, a toilet, a sink, and a miniscule bed during the day and night, only interrupted by meals. Long term isolation like this can lead to severe mental deterioration in multiple aspects of the prisoners (Breslow). This topic was first introduced to me when a friend of mine tried a sensory deprivation tank. These tanks allow people to float in body temperature water in a dark, sound-proof tank. My friend described her experience to me, saying that she both loved and hated it. It was chance for her to

There would be no one to fight with, no chores to do, and no other distractions. It’s true, all of these apply, but after elongated times in isolation, they all turn into negatives. There is no one to socialize with, absolutely nothing to do, and the tiniest of tiny amounts of sensory stimulation. After completing this basic research, it became clear that solitary confinement is not ideal or desired; instead, most people do their best to avoid it. It would be nearly impossible for me to stay sane in solitary confinement, as I need something to challenge my mind. That’s why it works as a punishment; no one wants to be in

In their argument, solitary confinement constitutes as a form of torture and should be discontinued. They use the effects of solitary confinement as more evidence to their point: anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Additionally, groups like the United Nations consider the practice to be torture in many cases and vouch for the end of solitary confinement (Heiss). Some people have spent over thirty years in solitary confinement, with little human contact or interaction the whole time. Albert Woodfox is a good example of this; he has spent more than half of his sixty eight year life in solitary confinement. In his words, solitary confinement is like “standing at the edge of nothingness, looking at emptiness.” Stories like this strengthen the idea that solitary confinement is a cruel form of punishment that should not be practiced under any circumstances