How many states use solitary confinement

New York has adopted a law banning more than 15 days in solitary confinement, and is set to become one of the first US states to fall in line with the UN's Mandela Rules, which define extended solitary as torture.

Imagine if you had to spend years alone in a tiny cell within earshot of others screaming in mental anguish? That is what solitary confinement is like in many US detention facilities that don't limit the use of isolation.

The charge was later dropped. In Rikers, she says she was accused by guards of minor infractions of the jail rules, and ended up being kept in an isolation cell for three years.

Ms Hailey, whose wrists are deeply scarred, became suicidal. I swallowed pills. I cut my arms," she says. The numbers in solitary in America, estimated at over 60, before the pandemic, have exploded due to Covid as many prisons have confined inmates to their cells. Solitary confinement - or segregation as it is officially known - was designed to separate the most dangerous prisoners from others and to keep vulnerable prisoners safe on a temporary basis. But in America, solitary is used more widely, and not just for Covid quarantine.

Inmates who have committed minor rule violations, many of whom are mentally ill, are often also put in isolation cells, sometimes at length. Solitary confinement, which was condemned as a dangerous practice in the s in the US, was reintroduced on a large scale after the murder of two prison officers by inmates in Marion, Illinois in , with the advent of "Supermax" prisons, and with the introduction of Secure Housing Units - units where prisoners are segregated.

This, in spite of strong medical evidence that solitary confinement can cause severe psychological distress. Billy Blake, a convicted murderer, has been housed in a small cell on his own for 34 years in prisons in upstate New York. He said inmates regularly throw excrement, bang on their doors or scream all night. He says he has had to consciously stop himself from losing his mind. I've started rocking - and then I've caught myself. This is what crazy people do," he says. According to the National Juvenile Defender Center, the practice of restraining youth who pose no safety threat can humiliate, stigmatize and traumatize young people.

In many jurisdictions, young people are automatically shackled for court appearances, even if they are accused only of misdemeanor, non-violent or status offenses. Proponents of shackling argue it is a necessary security procedure to protect the judge, lawyers and other court room observers from a possible flight risk.

Laws, court decisions or rules in 32 states and the District of Columbia prohibit the use of unnecessary restraints. The practice has since transformed and been institutionalized throughout the U. Rule She was held in isolation because state law required roommates to be no more than two years apart in age and there were no other detainees 14 or younger.

Photos courtesy of Jacqueline Rodriguez. Isolation fraught with consequences. Advocates, researchers, legislators and psychologists agree on the long-lasting, detrimental effects solitary confinement has on youth and adults alike. Despite overwhelming evidence and pressure from these groups, solitary confinement still is utilized in nearly every state for one reason or another.

According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 16 states use it without limitations. Long-term correctional facilities follow standards outlined by the Office of Juvenile Justice. These standards mainly address the process employees must follow after placing a youth in room confinement, room isolation, protective isolation or administrative segregation. Included are mandatory check-ins and proper documentation.

Isolation can have an almost immediate psychological impact and cause lasting trauma in adults, research has shown, but experts say its effects on young people are more detrimental because their brains still are developing. The extensive psychological effects of solitary can include hallucinations, anxiety, rage, insomnia, self-harm and suicidal thoughts and attempts, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.

Physical damage includes lack of adequate exercise, physical changes, stunted growth, inadequate nutrition, hair loss and problems menstruating. Experts say young people placed in solitary are more at risk to develop depression, engage in acts of self harm and attempt or die by suicide.

Those with a history of mental illness, trauma and abuse are even more at risk. This was the case for Solan Peterson, 13, of Louisiana. On Feb. Four days later, he was placed in solitary confinement after taking apart a lamp and using it to break the lock on his cell door.