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Curtis Tomkins
Professor T. Sung
English 123
20 November 2015
Research Proposal

There are currently 2.3 million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails. Even
more shocking than this fact, however, is the amount of prisoners subject to solitary
confinement. The U.S. exposes more prisoners to harsh, solitary conditions more so
than any other nation. Since 1995, the amount of people held in these conditions has
increased by more than 50%. The problem in the U.S today is that prison officials have
become overly reliant on the use of solitary confinement as a rehabilitative tool.
Solitary confinement can have a profound effect on those subjected to it,
especially those suffering from mental health ailments. In some cases, this form of
punishment has even been said to have caused mental health disorders such as
schizophrenia and depression.

The purpose of my proposal is to introduce an applicable solution to the overly

reliant use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. California has just recently banned
the use of solitary confinement in its jails and prisons. Due to this fact, I will focus my
research to sources coming from states that still allow it. I also plan to research just how
politicians in California came to the conclusion of banning solitary confinement. By
doing this, I hope to shed some light on any information about other states that may be
going through the same process. Being that this issue is currently in debate, I will look

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to magazines and periodicals, and have even found several documentaries on the
subject to aide me in my research.
The structure of my proposal will focus on policies already in effect, and
future policies that may be implemented to help solve the issue. I plan to first establish
what my proposal is meant to accomplish. I will include nay major events that have
happened, as well as any laws that may have been passed pertaining to the subject of
solitary confinement, and any effects they have had on the issue. I will also be
proposing viable, realistic solutions to this problem, and I plan to include accounts of
opposition to policies currently in effect.
The topic that I had originally chosen for my research paper was on the state of
mental health among prisoners in the U.S. during this process, however, many, if not all
of the articles I found were somehow related to solitary confinement. Several of the
sources that I located while researching mental health had accounts of solitary
confinement contributing to mental health disorders among prisoners. I also found that
watching videos and documentaries on this subject were helpful, as many of the
scholarly articles I was able to find were, at times, difficult to understand.
One of the articles that I obtained while reaching the topic of mental health is
from the American Journal of Public Health and deals mainly with solitary confinement
and its effect on prisoners. The American Journal of Public health is a peer reviewed
scholarly journal dedicated to publishing research that can be used in the
implementation of health policies. Dr. Ernest Drucker, one of the authors of this article,
is a professor of family and social medicine, as well as a licensed clinical psychologist in
New York. Dr. Drucker has published several articles on mass incarceration and its

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effect on mental health. Drucker, along with the other authors of this article state that the
U.S. holds more prisoners in solitary confinement than any other country, and that many
U.S. prisons have areas designed solely for solitary confinement. It is argued that this
punishment can even cause mental health problems in prisoners. This is why this
particular article is important for my research. This information shows that arrestees can
enter the criminal justice system without any prior mental health or substance abuse
concerns, yet be often be diagnosed with these issues after they are released if they
were put in solitary confinement while incarcerated.
After switching my topic to solitary confinement, I began an open web search, as
opposed to strictly pulling information from scholarly articles as I was before. I was able
to use a very useful article on the New York Times website. In this article, social
psychologist Craig Haney describes a series of interviews he had in 1993 with several
inmates being held in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay State Prison. The purpose of
these interviews was to determine the psychological effects of solitary confinement. In
2013, Haney returned to conduct a separate set of interviews, but was shocked to
encounter some of the same prisoners he had interviewed 20 years ago still being held
in isolation. This article is very important to my research because it shows the over
reliant use of solitary confinement in American Prisons. I plan to argue the ethicality of
not only placing prisoners in isolation, but also keeping them there for long periods of
time.
I plan to share a brief history of solitary confinement and how it was started, and
how it has had an effect on the present. Prisons in the U.S. began experimenting with
solitary confinement in 1829 in Philadelphia. It was originally believed that if prisoners

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were kept in isolation and given only a bible, they would pray and repent, and the
process would rehabilitate them. As early as 1890, however, it was found that this form
of punishment had severe, negative psychological effects on prisoners. Despite this, the
amount of prisoners held in solitary confinement increased, and more and more U.S.
states began building Supermax prisons, facilities built solely for holding prisoners in
isolation.
With this historical information, I plan to compose a valid argument against the
use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. California has already recently limited the
use of isolation sentences in its jails and prisons, and the policies implemented in this
matter will play a large role in my argument. Many of the historical facts that I have
located suggest that the adverse psychological effects of solitary confinement have
been fairly common knowledge to prison officials since nearly the beginning of its
implementation in the U.S. This is further proof of the over reliance of this inhumane
punishment. Prison officials continue to use isolation knowing its adverse effects,
because it is easier than providing education and rehabilitation services. This will
certainly help my argument, being that I will also include a proposal to introduce
education and mental health services in lieu of solitary confinement.
The history portion of my research paper will begin in the late 1820s,
which is when the first experiments with solitary confinement in America were held. I am
limiting my research to U.S. history because I am focusing my research as well as my
argument on solitary confinement in the U.S.

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Before solitary confinement was implemented in the United States, there was
less protection from the prisoners, and it was less orderly. Therefore the state of
Pennsylvania implemented the use of solitary confinement in 1829 for the first time.
Quakers and Calvinists believed this source of punishment will change the prisoners for
the better. Fast forward nearly two hundred years later, many states still believe today
that this source of punishment can cause a positive impact on a prisoner. That it can
scare them into good behavior. However it is still causing an increase of negative
impact.
In California, inmates who were held in isolation for nearly decades in Pelican
Bay Prison, filed a class action lawsuit claiming that the practice of solitary confinement
is cruel and unusual punishment. Because of this lawsuit, Pelican Bay Prison has now
released more than 1,000 inmates to less restrictive environments. Before this case,
some prisoners would spend decades in isolation merely for gang involvement. After the
settlement, this practice was deemed, however, prisoners who break the rules can still
be sent to solitary units, but for much shorter periods of time. Furthermore, according to
Jules Lobel, the lawyer who represented the prisoners in the Pelican Bay lawsuit, both
president Obama and Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy have spoken out about
the adverse effects of solitary confinement. These limitations were set into motion by the
case of Ashker v. Governor of California, and on September 1, 2015, the settlement of
this case led to the end of intermediate solitary confinement in all California prisons.
Because of the current importance of this topic, there is a wealth of information
available both in scholarly journals and online. Two such sources that I found to be the
most useful, however, were the New York Times and NPR.com. The sources had the

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most information on the implementation of recent policies related to Solitary

confinement. This information will help me to shape my argument, because I believe
that the laws and policies set in California should be nationwide.
I still require more history on this topic. Being that this is a topic of recent
discussion, current event and news were easy to find, yet history is more scattered. A
strong historical base will give my argument more depth and validity, so I will now begin
to refer back to more academic sources for historical information.
Ashker v. Governor of California was one such case that began the limitation of
solitary confinement. Another such case occurred in Texas, when the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees appealed to the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice to house Texas death row prisoners in non-isolation
units. The appeal arose when prison guards began to experience confrontations with
inmates, claimed that housing the inmates with another person and giving them the
ability to earn privileges such as television would help to reduce these confrontations.
Those opposing the limitations set on solitary confinement claim that isolation is
an appropriate punishment for violent offenders, and that it keeps prisons safer. In a
survey composed by yougov.com, 56% of Americans believe that solitary confinement is
an appropriate form of punishment, while only 13% who participated in the survey see it
as a form of torture. Other supporters of solitary confinement claim that it would not be
cost effective to house past-isolation inmates in non-isolation units among other
prisoners. Many prison officials argue that isolation housing is fast and easy, but it is
sometimes seen as a last minute punishment.

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During the process of my research, I found it difficult to find accounts of

opposition to limiting or banning solitary confinement. As earlier stated, I was able to
find some surveys about public opinion on this matter, but have not yet been able to find
much political opposition. I still need to focus my research further in order to find more
than just supporters on the issue, which are quite easy to find.
The debate surround the issue of solitary confinement is one that will not soon go
away. There will always be crime, which means there will always be prisoners, which
means there will always be prisons. And within these prisons there will always be the
debate of what to do with the inmates and how they should be treated. Solitary
confinement has become a go-to form of punishment in prisons across America.
However, what is the cost of isolation? Several studies have shown that as little 15 days
in isolation can cause lasting psychological effects on prisoners. Therefore, when some
of these prisoners are released, there is the strong possibility that they will come out of
prison in worse mental health then when they were first incarcerated. I believe that
implementing more education and mental health services for inmates will help them
transition more easily into society upon release.

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Works Cited
ccrjustice.org. 2015 October 2015. web. 20 Ocotber 2015.
David H. Cloud, JD, MPH, Ernest Drucker, PhD, Angela Browne, PhD, and Jim Parsons,
MsC. "Public Health and Solitary Confinement in the United States." American
Journal of public health (2015): 18-26. Journal.
Goode, Erica. nytimes.com. 3 August 2015. Web. 24 November 2015.
Hannaford, Alex. Texasobserver.org. 28 January 2014. Web. 24 November 2015.
Sullivan, Laura. npr.org. 26 July 2006. Web. 24 November 2015.
The Center for Constitutional Rights. Center for Constitutional Rights. 20 October
2015. Web. 24 Novemeber 2015.