Solitary Confinement Essay

This paper explores the characteristics, and medical concerns of isolation in regards to solitary confinement. Solitary confinement in the United States has been an integrated part of the penitentiary system for over 200 years. In solitary cells, there are significant issues from both a medical and legal standpoint. This paper examines Cloud et al. (2015) article in relation to other research articles to suggest that all solitary confinement in prisons undermines public health and safety and should be study for a better understanding of severe causes and lasting mental health consequences. These conditions and characteristics are unhealthy, stressful and traumatizing. There are inmates that live under these conditions for years with minimal
currently have laws in place that allow prisons to permanently confine inmates in solitary. One of the main issues with the use of segregation in the prison system is that only small amounts of people that have to go into isolation actually need to be there; by that, only small groups of prisoners actually pose a significant safety risk to the general prison population and staff. Amongst the demographic of prisoners that are placed in a confinement unit some are for minor transgressions, i.e.: insolence, failing to do what they were asked or refusals to do something. In contrast to possessing, an excess quantity of postage stamps (Cloud et al., 2015). Others placed in confinement due to infectious diseases, sexual orientation, pregnancy, mental illness, developmentally challenged, age, or those that are deemed by the correctional facility to be sexually vulnerable. Interesting to note, there are many regulations that must be followed by each
The impact of this research to occupational therapy is the same for any other public health worker of the prison system, under such dire conditions staff or prisoners cannot reach maximum benefit or aid predominantly due to the demoralizing and psychologically damaging aspect of solitary confinement. Drastic changes would need to be set in place in order to have a functional use of therapies in occupational and physical regards. In addition, public health researchers can use their expertise and methods in the service of committees commissioned by legislatures to study the impacts of solitary confinement or to explore alternative housing policies (as cited in Cloud et al.,