Ethical Concerns Of Solitary Confinement - 1482 Words

Ethical Concerns of Solitary Confinement The Basis for a Flawed System: Solitary confinement is a more secure area within a prison. It is intended to be a place where inmates go when they violate prison rules or laws. This is only one of the three possible uses for confinement. Confinement is also used to house mentally ill patients as well as pretrial individuals. Solitary confinement is no longer necessary for society today due to the fact that the negative effects of being placed in solitude outweigh the benefits that it provides for the prison system as a whole. The concept of solitary confinement has been around for over thirty years, and a system that has been around for so long has its flaws. Being placed in solitude causes debilitating psychological effects. Researching through the ethical lens shows that the United States relies much more heavily on the solitary confinement system than many other countries. The United Nations has expressed concern over the United States’ excessive use of confinement. A resea rcher through Brandeis University found that the prison population in confinement in the United Kingdom is .1%; whereas the United States places 1.8% of its prison population in solitude. In Scandinavia, confinement is used sparingly. When it is implemented, it is only used to temporarily house mentally well pretrial individuals who will initially be sentenced to solitary confinement (Idalsky). What Confinement Truly is: Many prisons argue that solitaryShow MoreRelatedSolitary Confinement Units1172 Words   |  5 PagesThe Pennsylvania system constructed in the early 1800s inspired solitary confinement by using extreme isolation to deter future crime. In the twentieth century, inmates in solitary confinement would stay for short periods. According to Craig, people would stay in secure housing units for a couple of days or weeks (Weir, 54). Nowadays solitary confinement has become very popular. Inmates are being sent to solitary confinement for indefinite periods of time ranging from weeks to years. An UrbanRead MorePersuasive Essay On Prison Segregation1490 Words   |  6 PagesWhen it comes to segregation in prisons, there is a great deal of controversy. There are people who argue that this type of segregation (also referred to as solitary confinement) is necessary in certain situations, while others find that it is absolutely unnecessary and should be abolished. As hley Smith was one such individual that spent most of her sentence in segregation until she took her own life. In the case of Smith, there was a lot more that should have been done to prevent her tragic demiseRead MoreSolitary Confinement And Mental Disorders972 Words   |  4 PagesSolitary confinement drastically affects mentally ill prisoners differently as compared to the general population. Such effects are psychological and they are as follows: (1) anxiety; (2) depression; (3) anger; (4) cognitive disturbances; (5) perceptual distortions; (6) obsessive thoughts; (7) paranoia; and (8) psychosis (Metzner Fellner, 2010). Being confined inside a unit with no windows can disorient inmates with or without mental disorders, and failure to provide mentally ill inmates with psychiatricRead MoreThe Effects Of Solitary Confinement On The Mental Health Field, Criminal Justice System, And Political Arena2057 Words   |  9 PagesIn recent years, the use of solitary confinement has becom e a topic of interest in the mental health field, criminal justice system, and political arena. Despite being deemed Constitutional by the Supreme Court, many mental health professionals are beginning to investigate the negative psychological effects of solitary confinement. Although there is growing concern regarding the humaneness of solitary confinement, a topic of interest that has yet to be explored in much detail is the relationshipRead MoreThe Ethical Treatment of Prisoners3418 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿The ethical treatment of prisoners is a surprisingly contentious topic, considering how much is known about the conditions and contexts in which human beings function optimally, both physically and mentally. However, ethical discussions frequently have very little to do with what best allows human beings to thrive and function, but instead concern themselves with formulating rules and standards of acceptable behavior, usually out of the mistaken belief that these rules or s tandards represent someRead MoreMany Death Row Inmates Endure A Plethora Of Years Within1065 Words   |  5 Pagesyears within a prison, the majority of the time in solitary confinement with no social interaction, very little exposure to the environment, and in a room with bare walls or the necessities: a bed, sink, and toilet along with other hygienic needs such as a toothbrush, toilet paper, etc. Prisoners sit awaiting their execution day for years. Through my research there has been an abundance of evidence examining the situation of whether or not this is ethical/moral. These questions have been addressed, butRead MoreAnalysis of Kant ´s Ethnics, Punishment, and Dealth Penalty Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pagesand dignity is in the eye of the beholder but nonetheless should be taken into account. Ideals of utilitarian as well as retributivism are taken into account when discussing the death penalty and whether it is morally just, or immoral as well as ethical. Retribution along with the key words previously stated are just as important if not the most important word with respect to the death penalty. We will be looking at Kant’s ethics and his placed values on individuals as well as Kant’s theory of punishmentRead MoreShould Animals Be Banned?1321 Words   |  6 Pagesfor example, may be chained to a shackle â€Å"measuring as little as five feet in length† in a circus setting while its counterpart in the wild may inhabit a territory stretching as far as â€Å"2,300 square miles.† The lack of space also poses a health concern as animals are prevented from attaining the necessary exercise. Problems such as foot infections and arthritis rises in number due to this lack of exercise and the long hours of standing on hard surfaces. In fact, these two health problems are â€Å"theRead MoreFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821- 1881) is one of the most famous and widely translated Russian900 Words   |  4 Pages In April of 1849, the members of these groups were arrested by the Tsarist police and taken to the Peter and Paul Fortress, a prison used for important and maximum-security prisoners. For eight months Dostoevsky was questioned and kept in solitary confinement. Then one day, three of the prisoners, including Dostoevsky, were taken to the scaffold on the square and read their verdict. Shrouds were put on them and when the shooting team was about to start, the convicts suddenly heard that their sentenceRead MoreAnimal Experiments Or Torture?924 Words   |  4 Pagesdue to the effects of animal testing. Furthermore, the International Association Against Painful Experiments on Animals stated that psychologists have concluded that deliberately induced stress can arise â€Å"from social isolation, either by solitary confinement or by separation of infant animals from their mother† (Psychological Behaviour Animal Experiments And Research Testing 2/4 ). These animals are starting to stress out a t very young age. This early stress could permanently damage their mental