Social Isolation as Punishment: A Call to End Solitary Confinement
Edited by Ali Bennett, MPH & Rose Perry, Ph.D.
Solitary confinement is an extreme and brutal form of social isolation used widely as punishment in prisons. However, research shows that the practice is not only ineffective, but also has severe mental and physical health consequences. It is time we end this inhumane practice.
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a social isolation epidemic, with two-thirds of American adults reporting an absence of meaningful social relationships during the pandemic. Numerous studies have found that continued social isolation as a result of COVID-19 has contributed to increasing rates of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression [1]. Yet while the challenges of social isolation were first brought to light for many of us during the pandemic, these experiences are not at all new for incarcerated people, especially those who have endured the most extreme form of social isolation: solitary confinement.
As we come to realize not only the profound benefits of social connection but also the dangers of social isolation, we must also recognize the need to abolish the practice of solitary confinement.
Solitary confinement is a punitive, disciplinary practice that typically involves removing an incarcerated person from the rest of the prison population and locking them in a cell by themselves without the ability to contact other people or to access sources of stimulation such as books, exercise, or outdoor time. A person may be left in these conditions for more than 22 hours a day for days, weeks, months, and even years.
Simply put, solitary confinement weaponizes the negative effects of social isolation for the specific purpose of punishing a person.
Initially proposed as a tactic to curb violence in prisons, solitary confinement in the US is now a widely used and loosely regulated form of punishment for all sorts of infractions, both violent and nonviolent [2]. Yet despite its widespread use, there is a notable lack of evidence that solitary confinement is effective at reducing violence in prisons. In fact, studies show that the use of solitary confinement fails to decrease rates of violence in prison, and that restricting the use of solitary confinement is associated with decreases in incidences of violence and aggression in prison [3].
This is not surprising given the abundant evidence suggesting that solitary confinement can cause various mental and physical health problems [4, 5]. Indeed, decades of research demonstrate that solitary confinement can lead to increased paranoia, anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, suicidal ideation, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [6–11]. These symptoms can emerge in individuals who have no prior history of mental illness, and can also exacerbate existing mental health problems [11, 12].
In fact, the psychological effects of solitary confinement are so severe, that the United Nations considers solitary confinement for more than 15 days to be a form of torture.
Along with psychological effects, neuroscience research with nonhuman primates and rodents also shows that there are biological impacts of social isolation. Numerous studies suggest that even spending less than two weeks in isolation disrupts the development and growth of brain tissue and can shrink key brain areas, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex [13–16]. These and other structural changes resulting from social isolation are, in turn, associated with altered cognition and behavior, including impaired learning, memory, decision-making, and self-control [17–19].
Importantly, solitary confinement does not impact everyone equally. People with severe mental illness and people of color are more likely to be kept in solitary confinement [20]. The effects on incarcerated women can also be worse. Women in solitary confinement are more likely to have pre-existing mental health problems and to have experienced trauma and abuse [21]. Additionally, women are more likely to be sent to solitary confinement for low-level offenses such as insubordination or nonviolent rule violations—actions which themselves can be manifestations of or responses to trauma. As such, we need regulations in place to both promote recovery from trauma for incarcerated women and prevent retraumatization.
The use of solitary confinement for minors is similarly concerning. Studies have found that youths housed in adult prisons are often overrepresented in solitary confinement populations [20]. Given that the brain is developing and highly malleable to environmental influence well into early adulthood, the use of forced isolation in young people poses an even greater threat to their physical, emotional, and social well-being than it does in adults [22].
Fortunately, there are some hopeful signs of reforming solitary confinement practices. Many people, including formerly incarcerated people, loved ones of individuals who have endured solitary confinement, and civil rights groups around the country, have advocated for decades to reform or abolish solitary confinement practices. In fact, New York State recently passed the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act to limit the use of solitary confinement in prisons in New York. The HALT act limits the number of consecutive days any individual can be kept in solitary confinement to 15, and mandates five hours a day of out-of-cell time for individuals being kept in solitary confinement. Additionally, the HALT act prohibits the use of solitary confinement for individuals 21 years of age or younger, individuals 55 years of age or older, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant individuals or individuals caring for children in prisons.
The act also places some restrictions on the kinds of infractions that warrant solitary confinement and establishes alternative rehabilitation measures for individuals solitary confinement [23]. These measures include the establishment of Residential Rehabilitation Units—separate housing units where incarcerated individuals who have been determined to require more than 15 days of segregated confinement receive additional programming, mental health counseling, and support for rehabilitation, to address the underlying causes of problematic behaviors. Individuals in these units also receive six hours per day of out-of-cell activity and one additional hour of out-of-cell recreation time.
These changes represent a big step towards justice and dignity for incarcerated people, but still do not fully address the core concerns regarding the use of solitary confinement. There are advocates for criminal justice reform that want to see the practice of solitary confinement ended altogether. And given the New York State prison system’s history of abuse and poor regulation [24], the promises set forth in the HALT Act should be carefully monitored. However, the changes put forth in the HALT Act represent one step towards eliminating barriers to social connection for incarcerated people and promoting better health and dignity for those behind bars.
But still, across the U.S. and other countries, solitary confinement remains a commonly used and poorly regulated practice. We need to continue raising awareness of the harms and dangers of solitary confinement and advocating for the rights and dignity of incarcerated people.
We started Social Creatures with the idea that everyone—including incarcerated people—has the right to connect socially. Especially in the past year, it has become clear that one of the most important common threads that ties us all together is our need for social connection. Being forcibly deprived of this basic need is brutal and inhumane. And scientific research confirms the fact that social isolation can cause serious mental and physical problems. In recognizing the fundamental importance and right of social connection for everyone, it is only right to end altogether the practice of solitary confinement.
Our call to action:
There is a lot we can do to provide support for individuals experiencing solitary confinement and movements around the country to end the use of solitary confinement. Solitary Watch is a nonprofit watchdog group that documents the use and abuse of solitary confinement across the United States. Since 2009, they have operated a correspondence program to connect individuals in solitary confinement with people outside of prison through letters, postcards, and newsletters to remind them they are not forgotten. You can learn more about that program, and how to participate, here.
The New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement is a coalition of families, survivors of solitary confinement, and prison reform advocates that have organized in New York State for years to eliminate the use of solitary confinement and promote dignity for incarcerated people. You can learn more about their work and ways to get involved here.
In-text references
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