Solitary Confinement May Not Be Psychologically Harmful

“Between 80,000 and 81,000 prisoners are in some form of solitary confinement nationwide.” Solitary confinement is the isolation of a prisoner from any form of human contact. Once used as a punishment, it is now used as forever disciplining prisoners, separating prisoners during ongoing investigations, forcing people to cooperate during interrogations, and even separating prisoners from threats within the prison. Within the two articles, “The Science of Solitary Confinement,” by Joseph Stromberg, and “Solitary Confinement May Not Be Psychologically Harmful,” by Joan Arehart- Treichel, the two sides opposing and agreeing with the use of solitary confinement are shown. According to the research done by highly trusted scientists, I believe that solitary confinement is not an effective form of punishment for prisoners because of the physical and psychological effects found in studies.

Joseph Stromberg writes, “...difficulty navigating open spaces.” After getting out of solitary, people may become “acclimated to shorter distances”. They do not like to travel far distances. Stromberg says, “...eyesight also deteriorated to the point where he was nearly blind…” Since prisoners in solitary confinement are in a dark cell underground, they lack the exposure to the sun. Without sunlight, their eyesight declines to the point where some go blind. Stromberg adds, “The hippocampus, in particular, has been found to dramatically shrink…” The hippocampus is the part of the brain associated with emotions and memory. When it shrinks, memory, geographic orientation, and decision making are at risk for change. Prisoners who are placed in solitary confinement have many changes to their physical being, including the ability to broaden their terrain, eyesight, and brain shrinkage. These are prime examples of why solitary confinement is harmful to the prisoners placed in