Solitary Confinement
Constitutes Torture
“Segregation, isolation, separation, cellular, lockdown, Supermax, the hole, Secure Housing Unit… whatever the name, solitary confinement should be banned by States as a punishment or extortion technique.”— Former UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez
Endangers People
Psychological and corrections studies have shown that increased isolation does not reduce—and can actually worsen—prison violence or misconduct. Nine states (CO, ID, ME, MS, NE, NC, ND, OR, and WA) have made system-wide reforms to solitary confinement, putting fewer people in isolation and keeping them there for less time. In Colorado, violence dropped almost 80%. In Washington, it fell about 50%.
Traumatizes
There is a near universal consensus among doctors, mental health professionals, and corrections professionals that isolated confinement causes serious and potentially irreversible harm to individuals’ mental and physical health.
Human Rights Documentation: Solitary in CT
Demystifying Isolation in the Connecticut DOC
We are often asked how many people are subjected to solitary confinement and prolonged isolation in Connecticut. This is a simple question, but the Connecticut Department of Corrections’ lack of transparency around isolation means the answer is actually hidden from the public. We had to rely on an FOIA request in order to obtain data and even then the data failed to provide an accurate picture of isolation in DOC. As a result, we set out to draft a report on the failures of current data collection practices and estimate to the best of our ability the number of people subject to prolonged isolation in DOC custody. On any given day, hundreds of people in the Connecticut Department of Correction of Custody are on a formal restrictive status, but thousands may well be subjected to prolonged isolation.