Solitary Confinement

Guest: Betty Gilmore, Psy.D., Southern Methodist University  The other thing President Obama addressed in his speech was the use of solitary confinement in prison. President Obama singled out the use of solitary confinement in prison as has having “no place in any civilized country.”  The US Attorney General is now reviewing the “overuse of solitary confinement across American prisons.”  Tens of thousands of US inmates are currently being held in tiny cells for 23 hours a day. A stint in solitary can last months – even years. Sometimes it’s to punish the inmate. Sometimes it’s to keep them safe from the rest of the prison population. Regardless the reason, activists call it inhumane. And psychologists warn it causes tremendous harm.