Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
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Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#2> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support for economical, not compassionate, reasons
That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is?
The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine themselves in solitary confinement. Would you want that? Obviously no, so why would you wish it or allow it on somebody else? Slightly tangential, but people who are openly racist or hate certain religions, ask them to imagine themselves as the people they hate.
The recent elections, and articles such as these are reminders that humanity is still very medieval. Sad!
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#3"There are still significant variations within Europe in the maximum permissible duration for solitary confinement allowed as punishment. In Belgium, eight days is the maximum permissible duration, whereas Finland allows 14 days; Poland, England, and Wales allow 28; France and Estonia allow 45; and Ireland allows up to 60. But overall, the dangers of solitary confinement have been recognized." [1]
[1] http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/11/beyond-solitary-...
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#4"There are still significant variations within Europe in the maximum permissible duration for solitary confinement allowed as punishment. In Belgium, eight days is the maximum permissible duration, whereas Finland allows 14 days; Poland, England, and Wales allow 28; France and Estonia allow 45; and Ireland allows up to 60. But overall, the dangers of solitary confinement have been recognized." [1] [1] http://www.brow…
I wonder where that quote has collected its data. At least in Finland prisoners may be isolated from other prisoners for specific reasons (like waiting until the drug cache comes out of the digestive system the normal way), but not as a punishment, and not for more than 7 days.
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#5> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support for economical, not compassionate, reasons That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine themselves in solitary…
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Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#6> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support for economical, not compassionate, reasons That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine themselves in solitary…
Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is?
According to the article:
"Researchers believe it damages the body and brain as well, but they can't test this hypothesis, because what we do to prisoners every day—house them in prolonged isolation—is illegal to do to laboratory animals. It is against the law to treat rats the way we treat people in solitary."
Yup. That's right. Illegal for lab rats. Obviously they know it is harmful. The entire point of the American justice system is to make people suffer for the crimes they have done, however, and to do so in the cheapest manner possible. And this is with some public support. It is "tough on crime" and gets folks elected.
Somewhere out there is an interview with a Norwegian prison director. His speech to new inmates says something along the lines of: *In Norway, we don't have life imprisonment nor the death penalty. Which means that one day you are getting out and might be my neighbor. I'm invested in making sure your time here is good so that when you get out, I'll be happy to have you as my neighbor". I think this is the sort of attitude we (Americans) should adopt. I think this would make a bigger difference than imagining the pain of solitary.
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#7> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support for economical, not compassionate, reasons That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine themselves in solitary…
Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? According to the article: "Researchers believe it damages the body and brain as well, but they can't test this hypothesis, because what we do to prisoners every day—house them in prolonged isolation—is illegal to do to laboratory animals. It is against the law to treat rats the way we treat people in solitary." Yup. That's right. Illegal for lab rats.…
> The entire point of the American justice system is to make people suffer...
It's interesting that the comparitively religious-leaning US has a more punishment-centric penal system, whereas the comparatively secular Europe leans towards rehabilitation. Considering the "vengeance is mine" thing and the Christian forgiveness thing you would have thought it would be the other way around.
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#8> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support for economical, not compassionate, reasons That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine themselves in solitary…
Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? According to the article: "Researchers believe it damages the body and brain as well, but they can't test this hypothesis, because what we do to prisoners every day—house them in prolonged isolation—is illegal to do to laboratory animals. It is against the law to treat rats the way we treat people in solitary." Yup. That's right. Illegal for lab rats.…
There is a minority of criminals who have serious mental problems and who are likely to commit crime again as soon as they are out. Are you confortable with that?
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#9On the intellectual level I have absolutely no reason to doubt the scientific evidence or the countless accounts of people who were subjected to solitary imprisonment and describe it as torture and worst thing that ever happened to them. I remember a documentary (probably NatGeo's "America's hardest prisons") episode where a violent and seemingly fearless thug was reduced to a crying baby by 2 weeks of solitary confinement. Yet, for some reason I am completely unable to empathize with it. And it's not for general lack of empathy either - I am quite horrified by pretty much everything else I learn about the experience of prisoners. But even after reading this article I feel like I'd choose solitary over sharing a cell with others. I suspect that points to some peculiarity/defect in my psyche. Does anyone else feel the same way?
Re: Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do these people not think about how cruel solitary confinement is? According to the article: "Researchers believe it damages the body and brain as well, but they can't test this hypothesis, because what we do to prisoners every day—house them in prolonged isolation—is illegal to do to laboratory animals. It is against the law to treat rats the way we treat people in solitary." Yup. That's right. Illegal for lab rats.…
There is a minority of criminals who have serious mental problems and who are likely to commit crime again as soon as they are out. Are you confortable with that?
Shouldn't someone with serious mental problems be in a hospital not a prison?