Isolating Inmates: Solitary Confinement In The U.S. Much of the world has abandoned solitary confinement, but in the U.S. it remains normal, and it figures into building plans for new prisons despite a backlash against it. Efforts to reform the practice are moving slowly.
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Isolating Inmates: Solitary Confinement In The U.S.
Nicklas Trujeque in his solitary confinement cell in New Mexico State Penitentiary. Inmates spend 23 hours a day in these cells, with a one-hour period in an open cell outside. According to the New Mexico ACLU, until recent state reforms, the average length of stay for an inmate here was around three years. Natasha Haverty/For NPR hide caption
Amid Backlash Against Isolating Inmates, New Mexico Moves Toward Change
A part of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is shown in 2008. The penitentiary opened in 1829, closed in 1971, and then historic preservationists reopened it to the public for tours in 1994. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption