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The positive impact of solitary confinement
Cons of solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a good tool to punish bad behavior
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In the history of corrections, prisons have undergone drastic changes in punishment, policies, structures, and conditions which have all been deemed more effective than its precedents. In prior prison systems, inhumane conditions were existent because cruel and unusual punishment were more predominant than rehabilitation in today’s society. Prisons were cruel and torturous while disregarding prisoner rights and rehabilitation strategies. Earlier prison systems administered punishments that were extremely harsh in nature including flogging, mutilation, humiliation, branding, etc. It is important to understand the historical development of the prison movement in the United States in order to understand how prison systems have since evolved. …show more content…
In 1166, first draft of the English legal system (concept of jury) was initiated; Magna Carta (no man imprisoned with trial) was in effect. Although things began to look up for the justice system, there was still the issue of overcrowding in military pardon and penal transportations in response to overcrowding of the preceding High Street Jail. Structural speaking, Inmates were stationed in underground dungeons and isolated buildings; Included were simple wooden blocks attached to detainees’ feet, tight and Claus trophic passageways and cells (simple cells or chained to the walls. Inmates were restricted from everything and everyone and in its attempt to isolate inmates, the Walnut Street Jail intended to adopt the idea of solitary confinement for serious offenders but lacked the cleanliness of its facilities. Small cells were designed in addition to the current structure of the jail which provided room for individual celling which only contained a mattress, a water tap, and a privy …show more content…
To be more specific, three principles of interest: solitary confinement is considered punishment, solitary confinement will prevent further corruption, and offenders should reflect on their transgression and repent. Based on the fact that the Quakers were a religious group of people and they felt that solitary confinement was punishment enough as long as the prisoner had the necessary time during the time imprisoned to reflect on their behaviors and times to repent with their religious beliefs ultimately rehabilitating the offender into becoming a law abiding citizen. With these principles and without fear of being tortured, the hope for successful rehabilitation would be a better opportunity for the offender than the ideas of other systems where the thought of torture being adequate in successful rehabilitation. Despite the current structural implication differences, political factors were then questioned. The effects of complete isolation began to have a psychological effects on the inmates which contributed to suicide attempts that questioned the effectiveness of solitary confinement in its entirety. Inmates were then issued work related detail within the inmates’ cell. The reformation led to concentration camps and Supermax facilities that were mean to reform the inmates to a more civilized life. The declaration promoted total reform efforts in structure, policies, and confinement
It represented a new world of confinement that removed the convict from his community and regimented his life. It introduced society to a new notion of punishment and reform. (Curtis et al, 1985)
Believe it or not solitary confinement has been around for generations. Exiles and banishments were the very first forms of solitary, but of course the standards for exile and banishment are a bit more extreme. These sentencing were punishments for those who commit crimes and or brought shame or dishonor to a group or family. Generally if exiled or banished one was not allowed to return until proving themselves worthy of being accept it once more. As decades passed developments to solitary were made. At one point criminals were placed in dark and dirty underground holes, these methods were known as "uncontrolled" solitary. The first "controlled" solitary attempt in America was in 1829 at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. It is on a Quaker believe that prisoners isolated in stone cells with only a Bible would use the time to repent, pray and find introspection (Sullivan). Current solitary confinement rooms are basic, well-lit, sterile boxes. Uncontrolled and controlled solitary
In the article “Bring Back Flogging” Jeff Jacoby writes that prison inmates are given a disservice more than people who used to be flogged in the 1600s. Flogging was a punishment that used for a wide variety of crimes and was usually done publicly with the victim being whipped an appointed number of times. Jacoby writes that flogging is a more educational experience than going to jail because it is an experience that the criminal will never forget. He goes on to say that another reason why prisons are obsolete is because they are so expensive and often times the prisoners do not come out reformed. He claims that prisons are a place that criminals can sharpen their skills and learn from each other so that they can perform even more heinous acts. Not only are inmates becoming better criminals but they also see their crimes as “status symbols” (197) the more despicable the crime the more respect from other inmates. The author writes that if the punishment for even small crimes were as severe a flogging then the measure of status would, over time, disappear. The article “Bring Back Flogging” by Jeff Jacoby writes about an unpopular topic through rational
Throughout his novel, Texas Tough: The Rise of America’s Prison Empire, author and professor Robert Perkinson outlines the three current dominant purposes of prison. The first, punishment, is the act of disciplining offenders in an effort to prevent them from recommitting a particular crime. Harsh punishment encourages prisoners to behave because many will not want to face the consequences of further incarceration. While the purpose of punishment is often denounced, many do agree that prison should continue to be used as a means of protecting law-abiding citizens from violent offenders. The isolation of inmates, prison’s second purpose, exists to protect the public. Rehabilitation is currently the third purpose of prison. Rehabilitation is considered successful when a prisoner does n...
The 1970s in the United States was a time of incredible change, doubt, as well as reform. The many issues happening throughout the country helped to lead to the discomfort in many prisoners that eventually lead to their e...
Solitary confinement was never intended to be a method of punishment. The Quakers were known to have no tolerance with their convicts. Many of them were hung or thrown in pits to die. Their idea of solitary confinement shows their original true intention of this method. Quakers argued that if you “Give a man ample time and quiet space to reflect upon his misdeeds, and he will recover his bond with God. He will repent. He will walk away a rehabilitated man.” (Griest). The i...
As time went on the solitary confinement idea made its way to the juvenile prison system, which has created a lot of controversy because young adolescent adults should not be forced into isolation. The notion behind why solitary confinement worked so well is because the government used (as what George Lakoff would say) the more conservative “strict father” model to deal with behavior issues. This is simply, people are told what to do, and if they do not do what is asked of them they should be punished, because that is the only way people learn. However why was this the only form of punishment/ rehabilitation the only option? There have been many arguments about why solitary confinement is necessary. The other option to solitary confinement would be to create
The negative effects of the long-term use of solitary confinement in prisons has been under the spot light for years, and has been considered to be broken. The maltreatment of prisoners is a constant
The prison reform started January 1st 1870 and ended December 31st 1970. This reform bettered the prison system and changed prison and mental institutions not only in America but as well as Europe. Some successes that came from this reform was the widespread establishment of mental institutions, increased attention to prisoner’s rights, redefining prison procedure, and the attempt to cure mental illness although Dorothea Dix’s federal bill did fail. This reform swept the country and it all begin with Dorothea Dix thanks to her the prison system was changed
The past two decades have engendered a very serious and historic shift in the utilization of confinement within the United States. In 1980, there were less than five hundred thousand people confined in the nation’s prisons and jails. Today we have approximately two million and the numbers are still elevating. We are spending over thirty five billion annually on corrections while many other regime accommodations for education, health
Thousands of people statewide are in prisons, all for different reasons. However, the amount of mental illness within prisons seems to go unaddressed and ignored throughout the country. This is a serious problem, and the therapy/rehabilitation that prison systems have do not always help those who are mentally ill. Prison involvement itself can contribute to increased suicide (Hills, Holly). One ‘therapy’ that has increased throughout the years has been the use of solitary confinement, which has many negative effects on the inmates.
America locks up five times more of its' population than any other nation in the world. Due to prison overcrowding, prisoners are currently sleeping on floors, in tents, in converted broom closets and gymnasiums, or even in double or triple bunks in cells, which were designed for one inmate. Why is this happening? The U.S. Judicial System has become so succumbed to the ideal that Imprisonment is the most visibly form of punishment. The current structure of this system is failing terribly. To take people, strip them of their possessions and privacy, expose them to violence on a daily basis, restrict their quality of life to a 5x7ft cell, and deprive them of any meaning to live. This scenario is a standard form of punishment for violent offenders, although not suitable for nonviolent offenders.
It is certainly undeniable that the decision to commit a crime is ultimately individual, despite the fact that circumstances may make crime the option with greatest utility. It is also undeniable that central motivations for certain crimes are purely psychological or personal, like sexual assault without theft, or school shootings. Reform and rehabilitation, then, must be conducted individually, with respect and consideration of the emotional and psychological needs of criminals. The question is: can prisons meet these kind of needs? This is certainly a component of the governmental motivation behind nearly all prisons, or perhaps more of a justification for the stringent regulations placed upon the liberties of prisoners, such as physical confinement, structured time, manual labor, etc. It is suggested that these rules are for the good of the prisoners, but while these regulations are convenient for directing prisoners institutionally, the deprivation of liberties and dehumanization could have serious impacts on an individual’s psychological state. The physical and sexual violence most prisoners face from fellow inmates and from guards (Villines, 2013) compounds their punishment on a psychological level. Given that the justice system causes these psychological trauma to inmates, it
“The history of correctional thought and practice has been marked by enthusiasm for new approaches, disillusionment with these approaches, and then substitution of yet other tactics”(Clear 59). During the mid 1900s, many changes came about for the system of corrections in America. Once a new idea goes sour, a new one replaces it. Prisons shifted their focus from the punishment of offenders to the rehabilitation of offenders, then to the reentry into society, and back to incarceration. As times and the needs of the criminal justice system changed, new prison models were organized in hopes of lowering the crime rates in America. The three major models of prisons that were developed were the medical, model, the community model, and the crime control model.
The Unrecorded Punishment on Prisoners Abuse of any kind, physical, sexual, mental, is known and condoned by nearly every American in the nation. If abuse has taken place through any form, the majority of the time the case is publicized by the media, and the story is mass circulated. But what about the minority of the cases that take place in a less media-monitored setting, such as prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers? A high number of civilians do not realize how frequent abuse takes place in these environments, and the severity of the cases are usually underestimated. Reality is, nearly every form of abuse is bestowed upon inmates by their “guards” as they serve their sentence, and the abuse can cause detrimental and life-threatening