I originally wrote this as a comment on a post on solitary confinement over at co-author, Chris Uggen’s blog, but it sort of took on a life of its own as I reflected on my recent experience briefly visiting several different semi-isolated wings of a state prison, so I thought I would share those thoughts here.
It’s interesting to think about the varying levels of harm in different versions of solitary confinement. I’m convinced that true isolation – such as some supermax prisons proudly proclaim – literally drives inhabitants crazy, but it’s less clear what effects shorter-term and semi-isolation may have on inmates.
I recently went into the isolated wings of a state prison for a research project and spent a very brief amount of time talking cell-front to men in the disciplinary segregation unit, the intensive management unit, and administrative segregation.
Although physically a more pleasant space with at least some natural light and prison bars on the doors rather than headache-causing metal-on-metal mesh, the administrative segregation unit is the one that sticks in my mind. The men are there because – for various reasons – it is literally not safe for them to be out in the general population (it’s similar to the idea of protective custody). They will likely spend their entire sentence in that wing; they probably will not have the opportunity to earn their way to general population with good behavior the way that those in IMU and DSU have.
The cells are double-bunked, share walls, and have somewhat open, barred fronts, so sound definitely travels. My escort and I happened to be there at meal time, so the guys were eating their meals off of their prison trays in their cells, reminding me that they have almost no time out of their cells and virtually no contact with anyone other than those in that wing.
It’s probably impossible to fully understand the prison experience, and especially the varying harm caused by different levels of segregation/solitary confinement without having lived it, but that shouldn’t stop us from studying it and learning what we can. It must be completely terrifying to spend your entire sentence in the relative isolation of administrative segregation and to then try to make it in the free world.
Comments 2
John Scott — April 17, 2010
Hi Michelle,
I spent 13 month in "the hole" and I have to say, it's not that bad. At first, it's a nightmare, just due to the fact that we are used to looking for external stimuli. But once you face the fact that you're in the hole and you're going to be there for a long time, most people go about acclimating themselves to their situation. You learn to think things through, because that's the one thing one can do in the hole.
Of course, some people scream and holler and seem to be panicked for the whole time they are in the hole. I think that has less to do with being in the hole and more to do with what is outside of the hole. If you have a lot of painful memories, the last place you want to be is somewhere you are forced to come face to face with those memories.
To illustrate: When I was in the hole for 13 months, I had no wife or children. Easy time. Years later, I got sent back and this time I had a wife and 2 kids on the outside. That's hard time. Not being able to be there, not knowing what's going on with your kids. It's hard. You have to force the sense of panic down or it'll overtake you.
Hebe Lee — July 29, 2021
This is "a kind of punishment that I firmly believe is worse than any death penalty that has ever existed." random street view