The Mental Health Effects of Restrictive Housing: What Do We Know and How Do We Move Forward

• In Event: Policy Panel: Assessing the Use of Restrictive Housing: Using Research and Policy to Effect Change (Organized by Division on Corrections and Sentencing)

Abstract

The debate about the use of restrictive housing has focused, in part, on whether the practice causes psychological harm to the individuals in confinement. This paper will discuss the current state of empirical knowledge about the relationship between mental health and restrictive housing. It will address the overall psychological effects of restrictive housing and the effect of particular characteristics of confinement (e.g., the purpose, duration, and physical conditions) and characteristics of the individual (e.g., age, gender, cognitive ability, pre-existing mental illness) on psychological functioning. The author will discuss research and policy recommendations.

Author

• Reena Kapoor, Yale School of Medicine