Solitary confinement
From Free net encyclopedia
Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to as "the hole", is a punishment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding guards and doctors.
In the maximum security prisons of American states, prisoners are entitled to an hour per day of exercise time. During the other 23 hours, prisoners in solitary confinement have no contact with anyone else. They are usually locked in a small room with small windows, or with no windows.
There is a variation of solitary confinement known as "the box". It involves the use of an overheated room or cell as a form of punishment or coercion.
Opponents of solitary confinement claim that it is a form of cruel and unusual punishment because it has a severe negative impact on a prisoner's mental state that is similar to certain mental illnesses. Those who accept the practice consider it necessary for prisoners who are considered dangerous to other people and for prisoners who are at high risk of getting killed by other inmates. This form of solitary confinement is sometimes referred to as protective custody.
Solitary confinement is depicted in Frank Darabont's film The Shawshank Redemption, Mumia Abu-Jamal's book Live from Death Row and Papillon. Also frequentely appearing on the HBO prison series Oz.