found that the rate of self-harm among those in solitary is 10 times that of the general prison population.
Pamela Winn, a registered nurse by training, was incarcerated in 2008 and later convicted to a 6½-year federal prison sentence for. As the now-53-year-old African American woman with red-colored curls sits in her ranch home, her mind goes back to what she said was the darkest time of her life. “No window. No mirror. No clock. No concept of time,” she said. She was allowed to leave her cell for one hour a day. She could shower three times a week if staffers were available.
In Haney’s experience, prisoners who develop a strategy to withstand the excruciating loop of idleness have a better chance of surviving. Some individuals force themselves to maintain a routine, to act as if there is a coherence in their life, “even though there isn’t,” he said. While she struggles to connect with her granddaughter, Winn keeps a journal, hoping that one day, when her granddaughter is old enough, she’ll understand.
For someone who acts violently, solitary confinement should be only a short-term solution aimed at acutely de-escalating the outburst, said Gregg. Afterward, those individuals should go to units that provide programming to address the root cause of their behavior. This may mean separation from the general prison population, but less time in total isolation.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM: Don't get incarcerated.