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ChrisKitnukul
Dr.Hanvey
STACCEnglish100
28April2016

SolitaryConfinementanditsDeafeningEffects

Insomerecentstudies,statisticshaveshownthatisolationinfactaffectshumanbeings
tremendously.IntheAmericanprisonsystem,solitaryconfinementaffectsindividualsmorethan
weknow.Solitaryconfinementistheisolationofaprisonerinwhichtheyareputinaseparate
cellasapunishment.Solitaryconfinementdatesbacktotheearly1700s.Theauburnsystem,
whichisapenalsystem,knownastheNewYorksystemwasamethodofhavingprisonerswork
duringthedayandatnightwerekeptinsolitaryconfinement,withenforcedsilenceatalltimes.
Studieshaveshownthatprisonersinsolitaryconfinementexhibitsymptomslikehallucinations,
insomnia,paranoia,delirium,andalsoleadingtohypersensitivitytotouch,hearing,PTSD,and
uncontrollablefearandrage.Evenprisonerswhogetputinconfinementwithnosignsofmental
illnessstillinfacthaveseverepsychologicalsymptomsandpermanentpsychologicalscarsthat
affectthechemistryofthebrain.


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Solitaryconfinementcanbeconsideredascruelandunusualpunishmentbecausethe
effectsaredeafening.IntheHarvardLawReview,alawreviewwrittenbyanindependentgroup
atHarvard,theauthorshaveassertedthatsolitaryconfinementhasbeenaroundforcenturies.
Overthetimeperiodfrom1970sand1980s,prisonsbegantoexpandthismethod.Overthe
pastfortyyears,Americanprisonshaveincreasinglyreliedonabrutalmethodofconfinement
thatinflictsseveresufferingonprisoners(1250).Thismethodofconfinementhasaterrible
effectonpeople,itinflictsmorementalharmthanphysicalharm.Beinginisolationaffectsthe
brainbecauseitslowsdownbrainactivity.Studiesalsoshowthatlackofsocialcontactcanlead
tohighlevelsofstressanddepression.
Thismentalharmthatsolitaryconfinementbringsismoreseriousthanyouthink.The
effectsofsolitarycanbelongtermandpermanent.Thiscanbeclassifiedascruelandunusual
punishmentbecauseofthedamageitdoestothebrain.Thisproblemisveryseriousandneedsto
befixedbecausesolitaryconfinementisequivalenttotorture,thevictimsaremorelikelyto
reoffend,anditdecreasesviolence.Solitaryconfinementaffectsindividualsgreatly,andthere
needstobeanalternativewaytoseparateprisonersfromthegeneralpopulationinprison.
Solitaryconfinementisequivalenttotorturebecauseitaffectsthebrainchemistry.There
isevidencethatstatesthatlongtermisolationinsolitaryconfinementhasthepotentialtoalter
thebrainchemicalsandthestructureofthebrain.Ihaveprisonerstellmethattheyquitreading,
whichisoneoftheonlythingsyoucandosometimes,becausetheycouldn'trememberwhat
theyread3pagesago(Koffler1).Thisisobviouslyabnormal.Shorttermmemorylosscanbe
concludedwhichisanunevenbalanceofchemicalsinthebrain.Theseeffectsonapersonis
torture.Imaginereadingabooknotknowingwhatyouread3pagesago.Thismethodiscausing


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tonsofpsychologicaldamagetotheprisoner.Survivorsofsolitaryconfinementdescribeitasa
mentalpainakintotorture(Downs26).Survivorsofsolitarydescribethatthismentalpainis
equivalenttotorturebecauseofthesideeffectsthatitbrings.Inconclusion,solitaryconfinement
causesmorementalharmthanphysicalharm.Dependingonthedurationofthetimeservedin
confinement,theeffectscanaugment.Thereforethisseverenesscanbeequivalenttotorture.
Prisonersinsolitaryconfinementaremorethanlikelytoreoffend.Inpage22ofthe
AmericanJournalofPublicHealth:PublicHealthandSolitaryConfinementintheUnitedStates,
byDavidCloud,theauthorstatesthatstudiesshowthatprisonerswhoarereleasedfrom
segregationdirectlytothecommunityreoffendmorequicklyandathigherratesthanprisoners
whospentatleast3monthsbackinthegeneralprisonpopulationbeforetheirreturntothe
communityPrisonersaremorelikelytoreoffendoncethey'vebeeninandoutofsolitary.For
exampleTexasreleasedabout1350prisonerswithoutanyrehabilitationprograms.Those
prisonershaveaninfluenceontheviolencehappeningonthestreetsorinthecommunitysetting.
Prisonisknownforreleasingsomeofitsinmateswithoutanyprogramsforrehabilitationsoit
hasbecomeacommonpractice.Prisonersaremorelikelytoreoffendbecauseprisonsdon'toffer
anyaidtohelpguidetheseprisonerstotherightpath.Peopleinjailaremorelikelytoreoffend.
TakeBacaforexample.Hewasinprisonandhehadtoprovehewasntweaksohewouldget
takenadvantageof.Hethenprovedhisdominanceandbeatsomeguyinjail.Fightingforhis
life,Bacacommittedanothercrimeandcutsomeonewithabutcherknife.Inprison,youhaveto
stateyourgroundorelsepeoplewillstepalloveryou.Thisiswhyprisonerstendtoreoffend
becausetheydon'twanttobeseenasweak.Thereforetheymusttakeactionorreoffendto
inheritrespectintheprisonsystem.Itwasatthatmoment,inthedark,inmyisolationcell,that


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arevelationstruckmeIknewwhyistayedinmycellineverymuscleandboneinmybodya
torturedvoicecriedoutthaticouldneveragaintoleratebetrayalthathadmarkedmylife,
stretchingbacktomyearliestyears(Baca175).Bacaknewwhathedidandthenarevelation
struckhimlikealightning.Intheend,thisrevelationhithimandhewasdoingthethingshewas
doingbecausehecouldnotlongertoleratebetrayaldespiteallthenegativethingshehasbeen
through.Bacafoundhimselfdiggingaholehecouldnotgetoutof.Soonerorlaterhewould
eventuallygetoutofprisonandbecomeagreatpoet.
Eliminatingsolitaryconfinementinfactdoesdecreaseviolenceinandoutofprisons.In
myopiniontherearemanyalternativestopunishmentorprison.Iunderstandthatsomecriminals
needtobeisolatedfromthegeneralpopulation,butforthemostpartthereareotherwaystodeal
withaninmatenotworking,likeBaca.Decreasingtheuseofsegregationhasalsobeenshown
toprotectagainstfutureviolence.Mississippi'sprisonsystem,whichreducedtheuseofsolitary
confinementbymorethan80%andmovedprisonerswithseriouspsychiatricproblemstoan
alternativesettings,realizeda70%decreaseintheincidenceofviolence(Cloud22).Therefore
thereisstatisticalevidencethatreducingisolation,orsolitaryconfinement,hasshownto
decreaseinfutureviolence.Luckily,Bacafoundawayoutbyreadingandwriting.Hispassion
forpoetryhelpedhimthroughthetoughtimesinprison.Hestatedthatitsavedhislife.Baca
significantlyturnedhislifearounddespiteallthethingshe'sbeenthroughinthepast.
Solitaryconfinementisabigproblemandneedstobedealtwithaccordingly.The
AmericanPublicHealthAssociationplanstotakenecessaryactiontoaddresssolitary
confinement.Oneofthembeingindividualswithseriousmentalissuesshallneverbeplacedin
isolationorsolitaryconfinement.Iftheseproblemsarenotresolvedthenprisonerswillexhibit


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longterm/permanentsymptomsofdepression,hallucination,distress,andunevenbalanceinthe
brainchemistry.Moreprisonswillimplementthismethodasanexcuseforpunishment.More
crimeswillbeoffendedinthenearfutureorlongterminandoutofjail.Moreprisonerswillfeel
torturedandstarttobecomepsychologicallyimpaired.Inconclusionthisproblemneedstobe
resolvedassoonaspossible.


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Bibliography

Baca,JimmySantiago.
APlacetoStand:TheMakingofaPoet
.NewYork:
Grove,2001.Print.
Clouds, David H., and Ernest Drucker. "Public Health and Solitary Confinement in the United
States."
AmericanJournalofPublicHealth.
105..1(2015):1826.Jan.2015.Web.
Downs, Stephen F. "Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Federal Prisons." 30.4 (2011): 26.
AcademicSearchPremier.
WashingtonReportonMiddleEastAffairs.Web.
Koffler, Jacob. "What 43 Years of Solitary Confinement Does to the Mind." (2015): N.PAG.
Time.com
.MASUltraSchoolEdition,12June2015.Web.
"THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CRUELTY: RECOGNIZING GRAVE MENTAL HARM IN
AMERICANPRISONS."
HarvardLawReview
128..4(2015):1250271.Web.