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EspañolSOLITARY CONFINEMENT
'Solitary confinement', colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole" or "the pound" (or in British English "the block"), is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff. Usually cited as an additional measure of protection (of society) from the criminal, it has also been called a form of torture. In some cases it is also used to protect the prisoner him/herself.
Those who accept the practice consider it necessary for prisoners who are considered dangerous to other people ('the most predatory' prisoners), those who might be capable of leading crime groups even from within, or those who are kept 'incommunicado' for purported reasons of national security. Finally, it may be used for prisoners who are at high risk of being attacked by other inmates, such as pedophiles or witnesses who are in prison themselves. This latter form of solitary confinement is sometimes referred to as protective custody.
Opponents of solitary confinement claim that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment[1] because the lack of human contact (and the sensory deprivation that often go with solitary confinement) has a severe negative impact on a prisoner's mental state[2] that may lead to certain mental illnesses such as depression or an existential crisis.
Solitary confinement is depicted in novels such as Alexandre Dumas' ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' and Henri Charrière's ''Papillon''.
It also features in cinema, including movies such as John Sturges' ''The Great Escape'', the 1994 movie ''The Shawshank Redemption'' or the HBO television series ''Oz'', and the Fox US series ''Prison Break'', as well as the ITV1 drama ''Bad Girls''.
Det. John Hartigan is put in solitary confinement in ''Sin City'' where only That Yellow Bastard has any contact with him.
''Solitary'', the first production of the Fox Reality channel, is a reality TV show where 9 players compete in solitary confinement.
★ Amnesty International
★ Imprisonment
★ Protective custody
★ Sensory deprivation
★ Supermax
★ The Box (form of solitary confinement torture using an overheated room)
1. ''Trend toward solitary confinement worries experts'' - Tyre, Peg; U.S. News, Friday 09 January 1998
2. ''Solitary Confinement Torture In The U.S.'' - Kerness, Bonnie; National Coordinator of the 'National Campaign to Stop Control Unit Prisons', 1998
| Contents |
| Usage and criticism |
| In popular culture |
| See also |
| References |
Usage and criticism
Those who accept the practice consider it necessary for prisoners who are considered dangerous to other people ('the most predatory' prisoners), those who might be capable of leading crime groups even from within, or those who are kept 'incommunicado' for purported reasons of national security. Finally, it may be used for prisoners who are at high risk of being attacked by other inmates, such as pedophiles or witnesses who are in prison themselves. This latter form of solitary confinement is sometimes referred to as protective custody.
Opponents of solitary confinement claim that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment[1] because the lack of human contact (and the sensory deprivation that often go with solitary confinement) has a severe negative impact on a prisoner's mental state[2] that may lead to certain mental illnesses such as depression or an existential crisis.
In popular culture
Solitary confinement is depicted in novels such as Alexandre Dumas' ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' and Henri Charrière's ''Papillon''.
It also features in cinema, including movies such as John Sturges' ''The Great Escape'', the 1994 movie ''The Shawshank Redemption'' or the HBO television series ''Oz'', and the Fox US series ''Prison Break'', as well as the ITV1 drama ''Bad Girls''.
Det. John Hartigan is put in solitary confinement in ''Sin City'' where only That Yellow Bastard has any contact with him.
''Solitary'', the first production of the Fox Reality channel, is a reality TV show where 9 players compete in solitary confinement.
See also
★ Amnesty International
★ Imprisonment
★ Protective custody
★ Sensory deprivation
★ Supermax
★ The Box (form of solitary confinement torture using an overheated room)
References
1. ''Trend toward solitary confinement worries experts'' - Tyre, Peg; U.S. News, Friday 09 January 1998
2. ''Solitary Confinement Torture In The U.S.'' - Kerness, Bonnie; National Coordinator of the 'National Campaign to Stop Control Unit Prisons', 1998
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