Solitary People: Personal vs. Temporal Perceptions on Punishment in Restricted Housing Units

• In Event: My Hole Life: Living and Working in Solitary Confinement In the Mass Incarceration Era

Abstract

Solitary confinement is one of the most used and poorly understood sanctions U.S. prisons employ. The limited literature suggests complex conditions often induce challenged mental/physical health for inmates. However, some inmates purposively choose to serve some/all of their time within solitary confinement rather than general population units. As the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections re-designs and implements changes within solitary confinement to reduce use and population, the conditions of confinement are once again thrust into a spotlight. This ethnographic study within four adult prisons examines inmate narrative accounts regarding punishment (theoretically and practically) withing several restricted housing units undergoing reform. The project considers how inmates conceptualize punishment and which aspects of the changing environment they feel are most punishing and most protective. Findings carry implications for correctional administrators/staff regarding funding, structuring, and delivering sanctions and services.

Authors

• Danielle Rudes, George Mason University

• Shannon Magnuson, George Mason University