Do you think that solitary confinement is an apt punishment for crimes comitted while in prison?

Sometimes solitary is more for the inmate’s safety than for the breaking of the rules.

Solitary of a sort, being separated from the rest of the population, but not as it is at a super max prison. I’d place the prisoner so he could see outside and see others but could not communicate with them. And he would see guards and those that fed him, but not other prisoners, not even trustees.

And the solitary would not be for much more than a few weeks.

My only knowledge of prison life is from what I see on TV (and that’s probably true of most if not all of us on Fluther). Doubt that qualifies us to answer.

I can think of a few jellies who probably did jail time @Pachy
I know I did several short month long stretches during my earlier,
more violent days.

Long spells of solitude can drive people up the wall. For a couple hours, fine. Though probably not a very effevtive tool.

I don’t see a problem with solitary confinement for short periods of a few days at the most. I think used like that it could be a useful tool to cool down problem inmates. Maybe. I could be completely wrong though.

My mom did 10 years and was put in solitary a few times. From what I gather it was short stints like a week for doing stupid shit like taking a shower for to long. For her it seems it wasn’t bad. She had a bed, toilets, and books.

But then you watch Oz and they are naked on a slab of concrete with a bucket to shit in.

I wouldn’t doubt that some older prisons are like Oz. The one my mom was at was brand new and resembled a mall.

Eh, I wouldn’t take Oz as any kind of indicator of what any kind of real prisons are like, considering that it was written to be as over dramatic and “OMG!!!!” as possible.

However, you might want to peruse this old thread, especially Zuma’s answer. Thanks to @JLeslie for providing the thread!

As for solitary confinement as punishment…hahahah, what a joke. Unless you have a problem sitting alone by yourself reading, or meditating, or napping….blissfully alone. Yes, to me solitary confinement was always a treat, not a threat.

From what I understand solitary as @majorrich said can sometimes be a protection for the person being confined rather than a punishment. As a punishment, if it’s for a short period and the person does get time to interact with other people occasionally, I would think it would be okay. I don’t think it would be healthy for long periods in terms of mental health.

@Dan_Lyons “As for solitary confinement as punishment…hahahah, what a joke. Unless you have a problem sitting alone by yourself reading, or meditating, or napping….blissfully alone. Yes, to me solitary confinement was always a treat, not a threat.”

Bullshit. Humans are social animals. No matter how much you might enjoy being alone the fact is we need contact and interaction with other people. Too much isolation is devastating to the human psyche.

^ And also, being forced to be alone is very different from choosing to be.

@Darth_Algar Eloquent as ever. Unfortunately it seems the bull is spitting upon you, unless you are unable to be alone with your own company for long periods. Which of course is completely understandable.

@Dan_Lyons

The very fact that you’re posting on here proves that you have the same human need for social interaction. What do you define as “long periods”? Like your short little month long stretches in jail? Solitary confinement was intended to be a temporary punishment lasting only a few weeks. In practice this has not been the case, and inmates being held in solitary confinement for years is common. California, particularly, has kept many inmates in solitary for over a decade. I don’t care how tough, how strong or how much of a loner you think you are, no one, absolutely no one, can endure that kind of isolation from human contact for prolonged periods of time without psychological damage.

@Darth_Algar

Yes?

probably not as apt as, say.. putting them in a metal box in the middle of the yard, under the blazing sun. Cool Hand Luke style… now, that’s pretty effective for getting their attention..