Solitary: the Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish It PDF
Preview Solitary: the Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish It
Solitary the inside story of supermax isolation and how we can abolish it Terry Allen Kupers university of california press praise for solitary “ Dr. Kupers gives us a front-row seat to America’s tragic experiment in mass incarceration and one of its most devastating, cruel, and painful practices: solitary confi nement. Kupers’s unfl inching insight into the hidden world of prisons exposes America at its darkest, but at the same time off ers concrete solutions and hope for a safer, more eff ective, and humane criminal justice system.” — Amy Fettig, Deputy Director, American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project “ Terry Kupers’s wisdom, humanism, and generosity have helped advocates and litigators across the United States—not to mention countless prisoners— seeking to curb solitary confi nement. His commitment to the well-being and dignity of every person behind bars has shaped his work and immeasurably enriched the prison reform movement. We are all in his debt.” —Jamie Fellner, former Director, US Program, Human Rights Watch “ Th e most prominent psychiatric expert witness in prison solitary confi ne- ment litigation is now the most important author in the fi eld. Th e analysis is powerful and fi ts within a dramatic narrative of actual cases: inmates broken by the terrifying isolation that is solitary confi nement.” —F red Cohen, Professor Emeritus, University at Albany, State University of New York, and Executive Editor, Correctional Law Reporter Solitary Solitary the inside story of supermax isolation and how we can abolish it Terry Allen Kupers university of california press University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Oakland, California © 2017 by Terry Allen Kupers Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kupers, Terry Allen, author. Title: Solitary : the inside story of supermax isolation and how we can abolish it / Terry Allen Kupers. Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifi ers: lccn 2017002267 (print) | lccn 2017008047 (ebook) | isbn 9780520292239 (cloth : alk. paper) | isbn 9780520965737 (ebook) Subjects: lcsh: Solitary confi nement—United States—Psychological aspects. | Prisoners—Mental health—United States. Classifi cation: lcc hv9471 .k86 2017 (print) | lcc hv9471 (ebook) | ddc 365/.33—dc23 lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017002267 Manufactured in the United States of America 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 contents List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 part one harsh prison conditions 1 • Supermax Isolation 19 2 • A Culture of Punishment 39 3 • Race Matters a Lot 68 part two the human damage 4 • Th e Decimation of Life Skills 87 5 • Adding Madness to the Mix 102 6 • Women Do Not Do Well in Solitary 121 7 • Youth in Isolation 136 8 • Th e SHU Postrelease Syndrome 151 part three the alternative to solitary 9 • A Rehabilitative Attitude 171 10 • Mental Health Care in Corrections 193 11 • Th e Disruptive Prisoner 212 12 • Beyond Supermax Isolation 234 Notes 241 References 255 Index 281 illustrations 1. Prisoners living in a gym at Mule Creek State Prison 6 2. A pod at Pelican Bay State Prison SHU 10 3. Cell doors on pod of administrative segregation unit, Eastern Mississippi Correctional Facility 29 4. A prisoner exercises in the “yard” in administrative segregation at San Quentin 29 5. A view of a pod at Pelican Bay SHU 32 6. Inside a windowless cell at Pelican Bay SHU 33 7. Th e yard at Pelican Bay SHU 34 8. Prisoners in group therapy in the administrative segregation unit at San Quentin 59 vii
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