Solitary Confinement In The Penitentiary System

Solitary confinement began as a standard punishment of the penitentiary system in the
United States in the nineteenth century. It was a response to the philosophical transformation influenced by the Enlightenment, that sought to distance punishment from brutality (Cloud,
Drucker, Browne, & Parsons, 2015). The penitentiary system was developed as a more humane alternative to the torture and executions that were happening in England (Cloud et al., 2015). Instead of having corporal and capital punishment, such as public hangings and whippings, individuals were confined to their own cells (Guenther, 2013). Supporters, such as the Quakers, believed that this confinement would force the individuals to confront their own conscience, and they would

Furthermore, it was believed that by being separated from friends and family, individuals would gain a sense of independence and self-reliance, and would emerge as a valuable member of society (Guenther, 2013). The first penitentiary was established in Pennsylvania in 1790 by Benjamin Rush, a physician, psychiatrist, essayist, educator, abolitionist, and signer of the Declaration of
Independence (Guenther, 2013). The penitentiary, entitled Pennsylvania Eastern
Penitentiary, subjected prisoners to solitary confinement 24/7. Each cell was twelve feet by eight feet and had a skylight which provided ventilation and enough light to read [the Bible].
The interior door was solid and there was a one-way peephole for the guards and a small food hatch that doubled as a table (Guenther, 2013). The cell came furnished with a bed, a workstation, a toilet, and a Bible (Guenther, 2013). Prisoners were allowed an hour of time outside each day, but aside from this, they were to maintain silence at all times. Guards even wore socks over their shoes to make sure that this silence was maintained (Guenther, 2013).
In fact, until 1904, prisoners had to wear a mask or hood whenever they were removed from their cells (Guenther,

Most notably, he criticized the prisons as being “a secret punishment which slumbering humanity is not roused up to stay” (Cloud et al., 2015). After Dickens’ criticisms became public, a light was shone upon the penitentiaries, and this brought awareness to a potential issue within the system. Mid-nineteenth century physicians confirmed that there were potential dangers to keeping individuals in solitary confinement.
Their concerns were due to “the prolonged isolation with a lack of meaningful human contact” (Cloud et al., 2015). In fact, Francis Calley Gray, a politician from Massachusetts, wrote about solitary confinement in his book in 1848. “[T]he system of constant separation… even when administered with the utmost humanity produces so many cases of insanity and of death as to indicate most clearly, that its general tendency is to enfeeble the body and the mind” (Cloud et al., 2015). As more and more evidence about the negative aspects of solitary confinement surfaced, the legal community became involved and in 1890, the Supreme Court was so appalled that, by the process of habeas corpus (which is a process in which individuals can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment) the Supreme Court set a murderer, who