Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Is solitary confinement torture?
Whilst looking for recent news in human rights, I came across this article. In this article, Juan Mendez, a human rights expert on torture urges the US authorities to end the forty years of solitary confinement served by Albert Woodfox, who along with his partner, Herman Wallace, were accused of stabbing a prison guard. This article caught my attention because I immediately remembered Hanna’s sentence in prison in solitary confinement. Hanna, a day before her release, committed suicide but Herman died of natural cause just days after the judge released him and ordered a new trial for him on the murder charge. So Mendez is pleading for Woodfox and described their cases to "clearly show that the use of solitary confinement in the U.S. penitentiary system goes far beyond what is acceptable under international human rights law." Even though Wallace’s case is completely unrelated to the Holocaust and Germany, it’s possible to draw parallels between the two since they both served sentences in solitary confinement and they were both accused of being responsible for the death of someone.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This might be a weird reference, but when I think of solitary confinement I immediately think of Shawshank Redemption (great movie, definitely worth a watch for those who haven't seen it). It portrayed solitary confinement very well, as one of the main characters is sent to solitary confinement for a month. After that month the character returns and appears to be 'broken' and much sadder then he previously was.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the idea that solitary confinement for such a great deal of time is torturous. Human beings are social creatures, we need human contact and interaction, as well as daily movement and daylight.
I agree that solitary confinement can definitely be considered torture, especially for long time periods like in this case. I watched a documentary about solitary confinement in high school that I (of course) can't remember the name of, but it showed how solitary confinement can negatively impact a prisoner's ability to interact with others in social settings.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Claire and Genevieve. As someone who personally thrives on human contact, I cannot imagine a more torturous thing than solitary confinement. I also don't believe that it does anything beneficial. As someone who feels that prison should be punishment I understand the idea of subjecting criminals to less than ideal conditions. However, I also feel that prison should be a place for criminals to go where they may become aware of their wrong-doing and perhaps become a better person from the experience. I don't think that in any case someone could say that being in solitary confinement for extended periods of time would make them a better person. Personally, I'm pretty sure it would make most people go insane. (literally or used loosely)
ReplyDelete