Former inmates discuss the impact of solitary confinement

We hear from two men who spent years in solitary confinement. Jerome Wright and Curtis Griffin are now activists pushing for reform in the criminal justice system – specifically, for the passage of the HALT Act, which would limit solitary confinement to 15 consecutive days.

A new report from the NYCLU shows that while the number of special housing unit solitary sanctions dropped by nearly 20 percent from 2015 to 2018, the number of so-called Keeplock sanctions increased. Those types of sanctions are less restrictive than the former, but Keeplock sanctions can confine prisoners for up to 23 hours a day.

We discuss the different types of confinement, the impact they have on prisoners’ physical and mental health, and why defenders of the practice say it can protect inmates and staff from dangerous people who are also incarcerated. In studio: