California Agrees To Overhaul Use Of Solitary Confinement

Knowing a bit about the penal system, articles about improving the quality of life for those incarcerated, always catch my eye.  There has been much talk about decriminalizing marijuana and reducing the sentences for first time offenders.  President Obama even did what no president before him has done, visit a federal prison.  It's hard to have an opinion on such a topic when you have only heard about it.  Seeing it and talking to prisoners gives one a very different perspective.

Solitary confinement is used to separate dangerous prisoners from the general population, either because they ahave been violent in prison or because they have been identified as gang members.  Such prisoners are left in solitary confinement indefinitely, with severe psychological effects.  Solitary confinement is also used in low  prisons or "camps," for very minor offences.  (Playing music too loud, gambling, being late for work, having more than the accepted amount of food and toiletries in your locker), or just because they don't know what to do with you.

Ron was put in isolation for 17 days when he first arrived at Taft.  Why?  Because the warden said so.  Later we found out that Ron's paper work had been lost, and they put him in isolation until everything was sorted out.  Those days were probably the worst Ron ever experienced.  He had no idea how long he would be in isolation, and as the days wore on, his letters to me became more desperate and he sounded more despondent.  Singing to himself, reciting poems he learned 50 years ago, sleeping in a cell on a box spring without a mattress, being awakened at 3am for breakfast, having no one to talk to and nothing to do for hours, days, on end, had a profound effect on him. Is this punishment or torture?  Tens of thousands of inmates across California have participated in hunger strikes since 2011 to protest the state's use of solitary confinement.

Finally, it looks as if this  practice may be reduced and used only in extreme cases.  Under the settlement, prisoners will no longer be sent to isolation indefinitely.  Gang members will no longer be sent to solitary based solely on their gang affiliation.  Only inmates found guilty of serious prison infractions, like violence, weapons and narcotics possession will be sent to isolation.

The state will create a new unit for prisoners who are deemed too dangerous to return to the general population.  There, they will have more privileges than in solitary, including more time out of their cells, small group leisure activities, and phone privileges.

Solitary confinement has its place.  Dangerous prisoners made need such a  placement, but for most prisoners, who will return to either general population in prison, or be released, it is not a good option.  They are severely damaged, probably beyond repair.  The problem too is that they don't get much psychological treatment to help them deal with extreme isolation.  I for one am happy to see some prison reform in the 21st century