Solitary Confinement Effects

Effects on Inmates and Family Members:

Solitary confinement negatively changes a person psychologically in addition to their physical well—being. A study done by Jeffrey L. Metzner M.D. showed that 15 to 20 percent of inmates require psychiatric intervention during their time in confinement, and 8 to 19 percent of prisoners admitted into confinement already have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder that makes functioning in a normal manner incredibly difficult (Metzer). Mentally unstable inmates often experience depression and hallucinations that lead to something far worse than sitting in an empty room for hours on end, many go to the extremes of committing suicide just to end their suffering. In 2011, suicides made up 5.5 percent of deaths in

state and federal prisons, which was more than drug and alcohol intoxication, homicide and accidents combined.

According to Dr. Alexandra Fleischmann, an expert in suicide prevention at the World Health Organization’s Department of Mental Health and Substance abuse; suicide is difficult to predict so the only way to intervene is to address as many risk factors as possible, these factors are typically mental distress, chronic illness, acute emotional distress or the loss of a loved one. Furthermore, solitary confinement is not meant to act as a mental hospital; however, it is intended to separate the dangerous prisoners from the rest of the general prison population. The ethical concern is introduced when inmates placed in confinement do not commit a crime that would mandate the use of a solitary confinement sentence. A cause for concern is also expressed when a lack of basic care, as well as supplemental psychiatry care, is denied to inmates. Inmates Brian Chavez and Brandon Bracamonte filed a lawsuit against Third West Max prison for neglect to its prisoners in solitude. Bracamonte was forced to live in solitude for a year, he was living in filth, denied access to natural light and fresh air. Bracamonte was only allowed to step outside of his cell every other day which in turn caused him to suffer debilitating psychological effects. Bracamonte was only thirty-five years old and was becoming fearful of

dying alone and being forgotten in his cell. He withdrew from opportunities to socially interact with other inmates as well as visits with his family (Wadsworth). Solitary confinement is a psychologically draining experience that provides very few positive outcomes. Inmates in confinement are not the only individuals that are affected by the harsh conditions that solitary confinement callously supplies. After an inmate serves their entire sentence in solitary confinement, many are released directly into society without parole or supplemental aid to facilitate their adjustment back to society (Shapiro). A family is the only thing that the newly released inmates have, yet the inmates do not know how to interact since they have been locked away and left with nothing but their own thoughts.
A Texas family was put to the test when Sara Garcia’s nineteen-year-old son was sent to solitary confinement for two years. At the age of twenty-one, her son, Mark was released from his cell to his mother’s arms in a matter of minutes. Garcia was working two jobs and tried her hardest to find psychological counseling and food stamps for her son, but he would lock himself away in his room like he was so used to during his days in solitude. Mark began to drink and was later escorted back to prison for another crime he later committed. The physical and emotional distress that Garcia was put through because the prison system failed to provide adequate care for her son is a common theme for many families being reunited (Shapiro). A mother’s pride and joy are being able to hug and love her child, but that was denied to the Garcia family since the psychological torture of confinement nearly tore their family apart.
It is important to note that prisons are run by human beings. When wardens and prison guards are given almost unlimited power that comes with running a supermax unit, there exists the possibility of abuse. Lance Tapley, a writer for the Portland Phoenix and the winner of the Roger Baldwin award, suggests that prison guards inflict psychological damage on inmates. Perhaps worst of all, though, is the evidence of physical beating by guards on vulnerable prisoners. Tapley’s research shows prison guards kicking, kneeing, and punching inmates in supermax prisons. In addition, it shows prison guards slamming prisoners’ heads against the wall and inflicting abuse while prisoners are handcuffed and helpless. In addition to the other psychological effects of being locked in a supermax, these prisoners can experience signs of post-traumatic stress disorder depending upon the severity and frequency of the beatings.
Along with the many psychological effects of solitary confinement, it costs approximately $78,000 to run the solitary confinement system, which is about three times as much per inmate than the general population (NPR). If all inmates in solitary confinement were placed back into the general population, the U.S would save around four billion dollars. This money could be used to counsel, rehabilitate, and hire more officers to keep high-risk inmates under control. For example, hiring only one psychologist for every two inmates would only cost the prison system about $2.8 billion, which is still $1.2 billion less than what is already being spent; by hiring one Correctional Officer for every two inmates, the cost would be $2 billion. While this method is still fairly costly, it will likely produce better results than the current method of dealing with inmates in confinement which mandates torturing the inmates and then releasing them back into the world “better” than when they were placed in solitary confinement initially.

Effects on the Future:
Solitary confinement breaks down the mind's ability to function and in the process, it does long-term, often irreparable damage to prisoners. This can have dangerous effects on communities and it can lead to higher rates of recidivism among these inmates. When inmates are released from solitary confinement back into society many lack the capability to care for themselves due to the lack of control while in solitary causing the released prisoner to have difficulty obtaining a job and earning sufficient money. A lack of money can cause an individual to participate in potentially harmful and erratic behavior that can possibly put them back into prison starting the harmful process all over again. Without financial aid, it is likely that the individual will not get the medical attention that they might need later on in life. The trauma from solitary confinement can translate into a lot of behavioral issues later on in life including maladjustment and aggression (Smith). These problems commonly escalate to mood swings and depressive behavior. Instead of releasing an individual back into society with a damaged mental state, prisons should release the inmates in a healthy state of mind and with a purpose. Instead of causing potential harm to the community, these individuals could turn their lives around and positively contribute back to society.
Resolution:
The question of whether or not the solitary confinement system needs to be reformed has a definite answer.

Yes. The system is horribly broken and has lost sight of the vision that it was originally based off. There are a few simple strategies that can aid confinement in being more effective to society as a whole as well as to the inmates that are being held within it. First of all, not enough is being done to support the mental and physical state of inmates. By having psychologists on staff that are working with the inmates, the likelihood of improvement in behavior will greatly increase; therefore, more inmates will be released back into society without the probability of relapsing back into their old habits. A study done in 2006 by Texas prisons shows that 40.8% of prisoners get arrested within three years of their release, 60.8% of inmates who were held in solitary relapsed within the same time frame showing that they are 20% more likely to relapse than if they were in the general population (Rodriguez). Being released from confinement is only half of the battle, many inmates are released without any parole or help from the prison to ensure that he or she will stay out of trouble after experiencing the taste of freedom (Shapiro). Secondly, inmates in solitary confinement need the opportunity to have an education and to learn tasks that will help them contribute to society as well as to their own families. This could include bringing in tutors for academic learning, a

life skills class to learn how to cook and keep a home, and the opportunity to learn job interviewing skills for positive interaction between other people.
Many of the individuals that are held in solitary confinement pose a high risk of harming other inmates, themselves, or the officers that are on duty. For these specific cases, there should be a separation from the general prison population. Within this separation, there should be different levels of security that tailor to the needs of the inmates in that level. In Norway, fewer than 4,000 of the country's 5 million people were incarcerated as of August 2004 (Sterbenz). These statistics make Norway’s incarnation rate just 75 per 100,000 people, collated to the skyrocketing number of 707 people for every 100,000 people in the United States; furthermore, when criminals in Norway leave prison, they tend to remain on the “outside”. Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the word at 20 percent. The United States has one of the highest: 76.6 percent of prisoners are re-imprisoned within five years. In general, prison should have five goals as described by criminologist Bob Cameron: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, restoration, and rehabilitation. In his words, though, “Americans want their prisoners punished first and rehabilitated later.” This idea of rehabilitation should be adopted by prisons nationwide. The initial practice of solitary confinement began in the United States in 1820, throughout the past couple of centuries the human race came a long way to building and breaking down just to rebuild the society we live in today, it would be appropriate to say that the practice of such cruel and inhumane treatment towards a certain group of our society should be reconsidered. Solitary confinement should end where it began.