New York Prisons Are Beginning to Question Solitary Confinement

The changes are still in discussion.

New York prisons could potentially undergo big changes concerning the solitary confinement policy. Earlier this year the New York board of corrections voted to end solitary confinement for inmates under 21, a mandate set to go into effect early next year. The latest change could be limiting the amount of time inmates are in solitary confinement.  

Advocates of the reform cite studies which show the devastating effects solitary confinement, especially over long periods of time, can have on inmates’ mental health, possibly leading them to more crime afterwards. In June, Kalief Browder, a former Rikers Island inmate who was never convicted of a crime during his three years at Rikers, spending over 400 days in solitary confinement, committed suicide. 

One former inmate who spent 11 years in jail, Five Mualimm-ak, gave NPR a firsthand account of his solitary confinement experience saying, 

"Socially, it made me numb. I felt like I was stripped of all the skills I was used to using on a human-being level.”

Mualimm-ak, currently a reform activist, explained that solitary confinement is too often given for minor infractions. “Five out of six offenses that lead people into solitary are for nonviolent ticket infractions, like excessive bearding or having too many stamps.” The statistic comes from a 2012 New York Civil Liberties report.  

Others like corrections officer and head of the state prison guard union, Mike Powers, believe solitary confinement is necessary because it’s effective when creating a safe environment and effective as a deterrent. 

“I don't know how many times I've had an offender, an inmate, tell me that 'I'm not going back in there, Powers. You can count on that,’" Powers said.

The final solitary confinement rules will reportedly be discussed during the next three months.

[via NPR]

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