Do prisoners deserve to be treated like animals that are locked in a windowless, dark, cold cell for up to twenty three hours a day? No communication, nothing to see but darkness, and nothing to hear except for breathing. This undesired form of punishment is called solitary confinement. This horrible form of punishment is unnecessary because it causes long term health problems, traps prisoners for unfair reasons, and causes suicidal thoughts. Solitary confinement is dangerous, harmful, and will not help prisoners in any way. According to the article, “California Prisons To Limit Number Of Inmates In Solitary Confinement” by Carrie Johnson, this form of punishment causes long term issues and dangerous health problems. This is important because…show more content… As explained in, “Prisons and Jails Put Transgender Inmates at Risk” by THE EDITORIAL BOARD of The New York Times, specific inmates are harassed by fellow prisoners and officers. Putting specific prisoners in solitary confinement for “protection” is causing rebellion and anger from inmates. Some may say that these prisoners are causing havoc in the prison, but most prisoners confess that transgenders are targeted for nothing other than obvious differences. Because of this solitary confinement is obviously unreasonable.
Furthermore solitary confinement produces suicidal thought, and is very dangerous. Plaintiff Paul Redd spent thirty three years in solitary confinement, this is how he explained his experience, “Sometimes I be at the point where I be going right to jail and say just give me the death penalty.” This is important because instead of correcting prisoners, prisoners will be killing themselves, making their time, and the prisons time useless. Those of the opposite opinion might state that prisoners already have suicidal thoughts in average confinement, but studies show that mental illnesses increase when put in solitary confinement. Driving prisoners to suicide is not correcting or useful, instead it is unreasonable and cruel.
As the author has stated multiple times above, solitary confinement should be removed from the system. Solitary confinement brings unwanted isolation, health issues, and suicidal thoughts to prisoners. Prisoners are humans not animals, therefore solitary confinement should be
