Extra Credit Assignment

According to dictionary.reference.com, solitary confinement is the confinement of a

prisoner in a cell or other place in which he or she is completely isolated from others. The article,
Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prison, published on January 26,
2016 by Kevin Liptak, talks about Obamas criminal justice reform. In the article it states that
according to Obama, solitary confinement has been increasingly overusedwith heartbreaking
results and therefore, he was ordering federal penitentiaries to cease using the punishment on
juvenile offenders -- in the federal justice system, those under 18 -- and on prisoners who
committed non-serious offenses. His decision was persuaded by the Justice Department because
they believe that by banning solitary confinement for those particular individuals, it would be
less difficult for them to rehabilitate and function normally in society. He was also persuaded by
the fact that there has been advocacy for prison reform and the argument about solitary
confinement having crucial side effects afterwards. Later on in the article, it states that Obama
will make an official order so that inmates be be housed in the least restrictive setting necessary
to ensure their own safety, as well as the safety of staff, other inmates, and the public." If, the
prison decides to place an inmate in solitary confinement or return them to their regular housing,
they should be able to coherently express why they are doing so, otherwise, the inmate wont be
placed in solitary confinement or returned to their regular housing.
Personally, I side with President Obama on his decision regarding solitary confinement
for juveniles and prisoners that committed non-serious offenses, because I remember that when
i was doing research regarding solitary confinement for my Criminal Justice class, I came across
the side effects of it and how those individuals have difficulty in being accepted back in society
as well as the difficulty in functioning properly in society. For example, I recall watching a video
about the case of a male prisoner, that after being so long in solitary confinement, he would start
hearing noises and he would talk to like the walls or to any other things in that setting. When he
came out, he wasnt mentally stable due to being alone with just furniture for so long. Eventually,
he was labeled as crazy and when back in the outside world, he didnt know how to
communicate or get his points across with other people. There was also another case about
prisoners committing suicide while in solitary confinement because they were so tired of being in
there that they believed their only way out of it was by committing suicide. When it comes to
juveniles going back into society, theyre already categorized and when trying to look for a job
they are being denied the opportunity to work due to the fact that they have a criminal record.
Due to issues like these, I believe that its not fair to place them in solitary confinement because
they mess up their future.