Solitary Confinement is considered an inhumane punishment, leading inmates to get mental issues. How not, the prisoners who were sent to solitary confinement couldn’t meet people for 24 hours a day, more than a decade. Of course, they can only see the correctional officers.
Since it is considered as inhumane punishment, the HALT Solitary Confinement Act plans to end the most harmful uses of isolation and solitary confinement in practice throughout New York. This act considers that there are other, more humane alternatives to replace solitary confinement.
To know what alternatives to replace solitary confinement, you can dive into our post to find out. Okay, let’s check it out!
Best Humane Alternatives to Solitary Confinement
Reportedly, there are a number of purposes for why different forms of solitary confinement are used today. According to data (Cloud et al., 2015, p.18), approximately 84,000 individuals experience extreme conditions of isolation, idleness in US correctional facilities and sensory deprivation and from 1995-200, the number of people held in solitary confinement increased by 40%.
According to a research study entitled ‘Impacts of and Alternatives to Solitary Confinement in Adult Correctional Facilities’ performed by Sarah Zyvoloski, St. Catherine University, there are at least best humane alternatives to replace solitary confinement, including Specialty Unites, Training and Coordination of Staff and Programming for Offenders.
1) Specialty Units
The correctional facility must have a specific mental health unit. Especially in the mental health unit, the direct mental health treatment was offered by trained clinicians. In the specialty units, the prisoners had more movement, interaction and also had access to chapel, recreation, education and some degree work opportunities.
According to the research study, the mental health unit is a step down from their ACU or segregation unit and the prisoners probably request to transfer. One interesting thing about the mental health unit was that prisoners did not necessarily need to be in crisis to be in the mental health unit.
Another positive impact was anytime the prisoners were in treatment or a special needs type of unit, their segregation time was active. It means that if a prisoner received a rule infraction, while in an already special needs type of unit, their segregation sentence time would pass while they were in the unit, not separate, when their transition out of that unit.
Since the mental health unit is the mental health unit, not segregation, the prisoners can enroll in treatment and get perks, like a TV and more movement that they would obtain otherwise and of course people there to work with them and help them.
Furthermore, the prisoners have something called holding, it means that when a prisoner has a rule violation which is serious enough for possible segregation, holding is a great place for staff to find things out.
Additionally, the Specialty Unit is a place for them to evaluate the situation and find out whether they have to send them to segregation or we mediate this. Of course, holding is a safe place that is away from their living unit.
2) Policies, Training & Coordination of Staff
Another alternative to replace solitary confinement is staff training. The research study mentioned Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) as a training alternative. If all the officers are all trained in CIT, they can do a good job of trying to de-escalate. They also offered training on mental health and mental illness to staff.
The DOC also recognized that there was a benefit to something called, CIT-Crisis Intervention Training which is very beneficial, since as an administrator/ manager, there are differences between people who were trained in mental health and interventions, how they interacted and treated clients/ prisoners.
In this case, security staff and the clinical staff have to work together, anytime there was a modification to a person’s treatment plan. Well, the information was always delivered with security staff, so they really know what plan or what program a client was on.
If there was a concern about the safety of the client, related to self-harm, there were actually distinct plans or directions in place for staff to follow. Commonly, mental health staff and security staff met at the beginning of every shift to talk about any considerations which might have to be made in respect to any specific prisoners.
3) Programming for Offenders
Programming for Offenders is another alternative which came out of the research interviews performed by Sarah Zyvoloski. The participant involved in the research study revealed that studies upon studies have been performed that correlate reducing recidivism with programming.
Another participant stated that the safest thing that they can do is to help change those (prisoners) and if they’re doing good programming and evidenced-based practices. Of course, they are engaging in that. They hope the offenders will not misbehave in this program and hopefully it follows out into the community.
Prior to release, staff will work with prisoners on setting up community-based mental health services and the mental health team goes out and will work with their probation units, so they will follow the client for a period during their transition to the community.
Another participant in the research study also revealed that their facility has Prison To Community (PTC) specialists who have motivational interviewing skills and will do communication with a prisoner and stated prisoners who have been in segregation more would gain a PTC specialist. Moreover, this participant also revealed that those specialists will work with prisoners on release planning and assist setting up community-based services, if necessary.
The last participant involved in the research study also mentioned ‘companion programs’ that refer to a job for offenders who are eligible and screened to sit outside the single cell or isolation cell of another prisoner who is suicidal and observe and also hang out and talk to that prisoner.
This participant also stated that there was ‘effort being put forth at one DOC facility to try and offer (prisoners) in the segregation or ACU access to materials or aids to help them handle behavioural, emotional or psychological issues. Of course, those materials include treatment materials, DVDs, workbooks and treatment assignments.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
