
Buried Alive: Stories from Inside Solitary Confinement - pmcpinto
http://www.gq.com/story/buried-alive-solitary-confinement
======
ploggingdev
> the federal government and about half of the states in the country began
> restricting their use of solitary. These efforts gained bipartisan support
> for economical, not compassionate, reasons

That is the most telling line about how the Government thinks. Do these people
not think about how cruel solitary confinement is?

The best way to make people understand these cruel practices is to imagine
themselves in solitary confinement. Would you want that? Obviously no, so why
would you wish it or allow it on somebody else? Slightly tangential, but
people who are openly racist or hate certain religions, ask them to imagine
themselves as the people they hate.

The recent elections, and articles such as these are reminders that humanity
is still very medieval. Sad!

~~~
IsaacL
Do you know how much people suffer if their house is broken into, if they are
robbed at gunpoint, if they are raped, etc? Not just the direct harm, but the
ongoing psychological harm?

~~~
mfringel
Will the perpetrator's suffering make the victim un-robbed?

~~~
p1esk
It might make some victims feel better, which can be considered a form of a
moral compensation.

~~~
mfringel
It might.... under what circumstances? some victims.... which ones? can be
considered.... by who?

~~~
p1esk
Well, I would've certainly felt better knowing that the guy who robbed me got
punished.

~~~
mfringel
Note that we're talking about a justice system that rehabilitates vs. one that
punishes. Do you care which one happens to the perp, with the knowledge that
they will be back in society at some point?

~~~
p1esk
Why do we have to choose between rehabilitation and punishment? The goal
should be "If you did the crime, you will be punished, but while you're being
punished, we can help you become a better person".

------
entropyneur
On the intellectual level I have absolutely no reason to doubt the scientific
evidence or the countless accounts of people who were subjected to solitary
imprisonment and describe it as torture and worst thing that ever happened to
them. I remember a documentary (probably NatGeo's "America's hardest prisons")
episode where a violent and seemingly fearless thug was reduced to a crying
baby by 2 weeks of solitary confinement. Yet, for some reason I am completely
unable to empathize with it. And it's not for general lack of empathy either -
I am quite horrified by pretty much everything else I learn about the
experience of prisoners. But even after reading this article I feel like I'd
choose solitary over sharing a cell with others. I suspect that points to some
peculiarity/defect in my psyche. Does anyone else feel the same way?

~~~
3131s
I'm guessing in your case it's either a misunderstanding of what solitary
would be like, or a misunderstanding of how bad it would be to share a cell
with the average prisoner.

Solitary is not just getting the room to yourself. It's 24 hours a day of
total isolation and really nothing at all to do. Your human contact would be
limited to having guards slide food trays into your cell and once a day having
a guard escort you to and from a slightly larger rec room (and you are alone
there also). You would not have access to amenities that other prisoners have,
like TV, computers, or possibly even books. I have seen descriptions of some
solitary cells that are dark 24/7, and some that remain lit all day. Some
people are in solitary for decades. I think staring at the wall all day and
not having a meaningful conversation for years on end easily constitutes
torture.

~~~
fiatjaf
Really, how many people get to stay DECADES in prison? In Brazil the most
horrible crimes have a de facto threshold of 6 years in jail.

~~~
Natsu
Generally speaking, those who commit violent felonies are relatively likely to
serve sentences like that. So rapists, murders and that sort of thing.

Part of the rationale is that it keeps people who willingly do such things
away from society. So it's not simply punitive (and there's very little in the
way of rehabilitation), it's more a matter of keeping them away from new
victims. A point frequently lost in these conversations.

~~~
fiatjaf
Yes, that's what I always say too. And it is a strong argument.

But still, in Brasil take 4 years and murderers 6 years in jail.

------
andyjohnson0
_" There are still significant variations within Europe in the maximum
permissible duration for solitary confinement allowed as punishment. In
Belgium, eight days is the maximum permissible duration, whereas Finland
allows 14 days; Poland, England, and Wales allow 28; France and Estonia allow
45; and Ireland allows up to 60. But overall, the dangers of solitary
confinement have been recognized."_ [1]

[1] [http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/11/beyond-
solitary-...](http://www.brownpoliticalreview.org/2015/11/beyond-solitary-
confinement-lessons-from-european-prison-reform/)

~~~
fsiefken
Regarding Sweden, does Breivik's prison sentence and stay (solitary
confinement) constitute torture? "1 March 2017, the Court of Appeals upheld
part of Brevik`s appeal that Article 3 of the convention on human rights had
been breached, that he has been subjected to degrading treatment but that his
solitary confinement did not violate Breivik's rights" (source: wikipedia) Or
what about the solitary confinement of Gottfrid Svartholm, co-founder of
ThePirateBay? [https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/the-swedes-have-the-
pirat...](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/the-swedes-have-the-pirate-bays-
co-founder-in-solitary-confinement)

Regarding The Netherlands, the killer of Theo Van Gogh, Mohammed B., is also
held in solitary confinement. Do all of these constitute torture or an
inhumane treatment?

~~~
Broken_Hippo
Breivik's solitary confinement is also much, much different than the little
rooms in the US. He has 3 rooms to move around in. He can cook for himself,
play instruments, has exercise equipment. He has a computer, though I think
his internet access is limited to nil. He has medical and mental health care
at his disposal. He can have visitors, though they are through glass.

They made an exception to that glass before his mother died - he was allowed
direct physical contact with his mother.

Not only that, but I'm pretty sure he can earn his way outside of solitary.
And theoretically, he'll wind up getting released. I've heard it is possible
to label him a threat to society, in which case he's more likely to wind up in
a mental institution at that point - but it really depends on what he does in
the next 10 years or so.

~~~
marvin
I strongly doubt that Breivik will ever be let out of solitary confinement
unless the Norwegian high court finds that the Norwegian penal system violates
Norwegian law. I doubt that even a conviction in the European court of human
rights would cause Norwegian authorities to change the practice.

The official explanation for the solitary confinement is that other prisoners
would kill him if they had access to him. The word punishment has never been
been used to describe his extraordinary sentencing conditions. Actually, it's
pretty ironic to have this discussion the same week that a convicted child sex
offender was killed in a Norwegian prison after numerous warnings.

Breivik killed dozens of children of Arbeiderpartiet politicians, one of the
biggest parties and the ruling party at the time. Norwegian society, great
though it is in many ways, is still not capable of admitting that our
relationship with the rule of law is somewhat selective.

Note: This is not in _any_ was a defence of Breivik's actions or ideology,
rather a commentary on how legal principles are difficult for even a
principled society to uphold in extreme cases. (It's also worth pointing out
that Norway has been repeatedly criticised by the UN for our use of solitary
confinement against arrestees that are not yet charged with a crime).

~~~
runarb
> Actually, it's pretty ironic to have this discussion the same week that a
> convicted child sex offender was killed in a Norwegian prison after numerous
> warnings.

That an inmate gets killed in a Norwegian prison is extremely rare. As you
mention it did happened this week, but the last time before that was in 1982
(according to [http://frifagbevegelse.no/nffmagasinet/drapet-i-ringerike-
fe...](http://frifagbevegelse.no/nffmagasinet/drapet-i-ringerike-
fengsel-6.185.450223.66696d3d17) )

------
makecheck
It's insane that prisoners are treated poorly. It's also ridiculous that
statistics like "rate of recidivism" do not seem to even consider what effect
the incarceration itself had on the offender.

------
jMyles
Stories of torture at the hands of the state, in a domestic correctional
context, are everywhere. This is a confirmed, observable phenomenon, not
subject to much conjecture or doubt.

And it's time to _smash_ it. Thinking that some slow, incremental legislative
progress is going to fix this problem is pulling a blanket of privilege over
eyes and ears.

When Washington falls, which it will, we must immediately turn to our states
and ensure - by whatever nonviolent means necessary - that they do not fill in
the budget vacuum currently filled by a hodgepodge of federal grants and
instead close prisons en masse.

In the mean time, we need to form pen-pal relationships with prisoners, shame
people who decide to work in the prison industry (I know this sounds cruel,
but it's _less_ cruel than refraining from doing so), and speak out in square
company.

Enough is enough.

~~~
ars
Your plan would make things unbelievably worse.

And I don't understand how you don't see this.

You reject a legislative process, and also want to shame people who work in
prisons.

So basically you are blocking the only two possible paths to accomplish your
goals: Either new laws, or reform from the inside.

How can you be so short sighted?

~~~
jMyles
What makes you think that these tactics represent "the only two possible
paths?"

------
intralizee
I had an experience with solitary confinement and I was tormented by it. The
memories don't effect me much anymore and I now can write about it.

It resulted from a mental break down, causing an arrest which was not
justified legally but the officer at the scene was annoyed by me. The charge
were eventually dismissed but still haunts me like it would for any person.

I'm transgender which is related to the situation; at the time I had troubles
communicating what I was going through and an attempt at failing 'x' which
caused a wreck. Luckily nobody other than me was injured physically or
mentally by the wreck.

I was told by other officers & firemen, "I would not be arrested as I had done
nothing illegal" but the leading male officer decided to arrest me regardless
and I ended up in the place for mentally ill criminals.

I either pissed off the officer by asking to speak to the female officer
instead when questioned or he had something against me by how I looked.

I've never had a mental illness or have been diagnosed with any mental illness
or even depression but I somehow ended up on haldol for schizophrenia which
was shortly decided a day after the arrest without seeing any medical
professional qualified for making such a diagnosis which needs 6 months
observation anyway.

It all happened in Texas, almost ruined my life and has influenced other
events in my life by negligence of others not understanding; leading to
discrimination with other things by negligence.

I'm trying to pursue some justice for connections to what I've experienced
resulting from negligence of others, so I can sleep better but let me now get
on to the solitary confinement story.

The solitary confinement I was put in (while stripped of all clothes) had a
button/speaker system to an supervising law enforcement person.

None of the law enforcement in charge of watching would make any indication to
sympathy and would say things which would escalate any grief a person
communicated even if it was a sane request.

Talking by button/speaker you would hear short responses made to sound annoyed
and I was told to "get used to this as how am I going to survive when I go to
prison" which to this day I cannot understand how messed up a person must be
to feel the need to say something like that to a person in the situation I was
in.

The confinement smelled similar to bleach or some really strong chemical odor,
it would make my throat dry and people would be screaming for water. Other
inmates in solitary confinement would scream they are Lucifer or that they are
on true crime TV with nonsense stuff.

There were bars on the floor forming a 2 by 2 square for #1 or #2. Meals would
consist of a paper bag containing an apple past it's prime, a milk carton,
chips/pretzels and a small sandwich of tuna.

So you're stuck in this small space with a camera watching you and no clothes.
Eventually I became anxious where I needed to know the time and ended up
annoying the guard on duty by repetitively asking for it. I only had to stay
in there for close to 2 days, until my lawyer managed to come and get me out
of there. Bail was set at 50k which luckily I have parents that paid for it
and it was returned to them after the dismissal.

Anyway I think it's reasonable for a person to prefer death when experiencing
solitary confinement because I would have preferred death to that experience.

I really do enjoy life though but going through that was just wow.

~~~
Broken_Hippo
I'm sorry you've had to endure this and am happy you are doing a bit better.
Thank you very much for sharing the experience.

~~~
intralizee
The sad thing was how so many inmates there were so kind and the stories they
shared were so awful.

Jail is really just a cheap way to justify money not going to healthcare for
improving mental health of people that need it.

US has to dry up all the tax money for war it seems. :/

Also thanks!

------
ddingus
When can we move to fixing people, not just punishment?

Our current system is selfish. The suffering is a show for everyone else.

It's supposed to suck. Nobody has a beef with that. But it doesn't have to
destroy.

------
olfox
Mindfield, the new series by vsauce, tackled this in its first episode, which
recently became free to watch.

It was an interesting watch, although I couldn't really take the experiment
seriously after the segment with the former inmate who had spent way more time
confined in a cell with even less stimulation than the one Michael was about
to enter.

Anyhow, prolonged isolation(>3 days, maybe less) and willful disruption of
circadian rhythms should definitely be considered torture.

Also, doing this to people who will reenter society is just so shortsighted
and dumb, regardless of the total lack of morality.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKdEhx-
dD4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqKdEhx-dD4)

------
virtualwhys
Also see: This Blinding Absence of Light[1], true story of an Morrocan coup
attempt gone wrong, and the 18 year punishment that ensued.

Disturbing and beautiful account; it's amazing what humans can endure, pushing
toward the inner light amidst its complete absence.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Blinding_Absence_of_Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Blinding_Absence_of_Light)

