What happens to people in solitary confinement | Laura Rovner

Imagine living with no significant human contact for years, even decades, in a cell the size of a small bathroom. This is the reality for those in long-term solitary confinement, a form of imprisonment regularly imposed in US prisons. In this eye-opening talk, civil rights lawyer Laura Rovner takes us to ADX, the US federal government's only supermax prison, and describes the dehumanizing effects of long-term solitude on the mind, personality and sense of self. What emerges is an urgent case for abolishing solitary confinement -- and evidence for how our tax dollars, public safety and values are implicated in it. "Prisons are administered in our name and on our behalf," she says. "We have an obligation to bear witness."

[alexdolgushev]

Out of the 4 years I did in prison I did 44 days in solitary confinement. 10 Days when I first got in because of administrative segregation because I was a "high profile case". My first 10 days in jail I sat in a cell by myself with no pen or paper. With no books, or anything to keep my mind occupied besides looking over my charges. After a year I was sent to seg again because someone told the C.O.s that I was extorting them for their food. Which was false, I never did extort anyone. I went to maximum security floor because of a. false accusations. I got moved again to a lower level after a few months because of good behavior. When I was in a dorm somebody stole my food so I had to fight to get it back. I lost the fight and got 8 stitches in my head, and all the deputies cared about was "Do you want to press charges on the person that did this?" No! I don't want to punish another person even more then they are already punished. They stitched me up, and put me in seg, for 15 days. When the day came to take me out they said they didn't have enough room in population for me so I had to sit another 2 days in there until there was room. At least it was better than my first time because I had food and coffee. They messed with my mind so much that cold coffee and Cheetos actually brought me happiness on my 21st birthday. I was actually happy for the little things I had because I knew how much worse it could be. After that I got moved to prison and send to seg in there for a investigation. I was walking with someone that I knew and he got jumped by some inmates. He told the sergeant that I set him up, which I didn't. I sat in seg for another 17 days while they "investigated" this situation." They charged me with a 104 which is gang aggravated assault. 100 is murder. I didn't do anything at I sat there for 17 days not knowing wether I would get found guilty or not. The anxiety sticks with me till this day that now I have a mental illness because of this. I am very grateful that someone is actually using their platform to speak for the people who are silenced. This was very powerful!! Thank you for exposing the torture that goes on every day in this country to kids who aren't even old enough to drink.

[donaldsmith]

2.6 years in solitary 15 years ago. The people now pay my SSDI because from one day to the next I don’t know what is happening. During that 2.6 years I was starve and denied water for over a week and had to drink filthy water out of my non flushing toilet. Not because I did anything wrong that they could write a disciplinary case for, but because I wrote numerous Texas and Federal agencies asking for help, not for me but for two mentally ill inmates the guards regularly starved. One agency in all those letters actually contacted the prison ( they didn’t bother to monitor the problem, just informed the guards I’d complained.) I learned from that experience that if I didn’t one day destroy this country that there would be no change because we had already slid past the point of fixing the problems within the guidelines of the current rules and laws. Thank you all for supporting me in my efforts.

[Tenshihan-Quinn]

Leave someone alone long enough to find themselves, not long enough to lose their minds.

[dot-to-dot]

This is going on in all prisons not just ADX.

[Soberdogs]

I did 12 months and 25 days in solitary it brutal so so so hopeless!!!! we need more awareness!!!! great video

[danforsyth]

My brother spent his whole adult life in and out of prison for being a drug addict and after 21 years in all in and out over the years he came out the same brother I knew everytime he was what was called a problem because he had so much charisma they felt he was a security risk and he spent 1 years in solitary confinement and when he got out and came home he was a shell of his former self they broke him changed him forever I have done solitary confinement on a short term myself and what this talk is informing you about is very real and very much torture and should be band as a long term solution for any human being weather or not they are a bad person

[thescoobymike]

I used to complain about being grounded cause i felt it drove me crazy but that's not anywhere close to even a fraction of what those in solitary must feel

[ameera]

my aunt and her husband, both US residents, were in Egypt on holiday when they were taken into prison arbitrarily and put in solitary confinement for over 2 years now. no one from my family has been able to have any contact with them, not even the lawyer has been able to speak to them. we are extremely worried about their health. my aunt is the sweetest, kindest, gentle and caring person I know. we feel very helpless.

[gykg]

I am actually happy that there is a person like her who fights for people in solitary.

[chrislamb]

spent one year in solitary confinement, 24/7 lock down, no windows no yard no contact with friends of family. only conversation was with the guards that brought me my three meals and weekly 5 min shower. been free for a year now. but im still in solitary confinement mentally

[angiecoria]

Solitary confinement is one of the worst experience ever, and I wasn’t the one locked up! My ex husband spent 6 months there and I can say those 6 months were the worst of his sentence! I remember the first time I saw him after he got “visitation approval” which was through a monitor! And wow! I saw him so weak so scared and sad! Yet I remember I tried to put a smile cuz of course I was happy to see him! But after leaving I went home and cried so much just thinking of all the horrible things he was going through. Its inhumane! And everything she says its true he would tell me some crazy stories! I remember i did everything I could to make his time there less horrible, but I could only try yet only they know what it truly feels! Wish no one had to experience this from either side!

[buckanderson]

You can't torture a monster without becoming one yourself.

[dabbnmike]

I was in prison for almost 3 years for drugs after I was sentenced and went from county jail to "diagnostics and evaluation" D&E I was held in a small cell for 23 hours a day under close watch until the institute decided where to send me ... It was there my eyesight went from totally fine to needing very strong prescription glasses to see also kinda lost my mind .. this video get a thumbs up from me

[kantitsamystery]

I know quite well what Solitary can do to a person.
I spent 120 days in solitary. It started because I had a blanket on my feet and didn't take it off my feet when told. Mind you it's under 60°F most of the time.
Once I was locked in solitary (I got 45 days for the initial blanket on my feet) I slowly was losing my bearings day by day, and would get new "charges" for things like hanging a picture on the wall of my cell, because it was becoming more and more difficult to keep a grasp on reality.
One minute felt like one hour, one hour felt like half a day, and one day dragged on for what felt like almost a week. And a week felt like a month, and a month like eternity.
By one out of four months in I was hallucinating which could make time slow even more. I'd talk to myself, and some things are just to hard on your mind to talk about, even years later.
The absolute pure dread I feel now when encountering police officers is so noticeable that it always singles me out for harassment. I have night terrors that leave me shaken for days.
I've found it difficult to function most my adult years because of this experience I went through at 18 years old.
My initial crime? Stealing something when I was homeless with a value of less than $100 dollars.
That's the crime I committed to "deserve" an experience that's fucked me up ever since. The experience has caused me to make other bad decisions that led to more jail. Like instinctively running from police out of that extreme sense of dread, whether or not I did anything wrong. Or resisting arrest over a ticket because I had a panic attack and fought the officer.
So maybe one day someone can explain to me why the PTSD this caused me was worth the initial crime and jail "charge" I committed.

[ronsteelable]

When I was 19, I was sentenced to 30 days in a city jail for a misdemeanor. The city jailer confined me to my own space away from regular traffic. Since it wasn't an overcrowded county jail, I was forced to serve the entirety of my 30 days. I was in solitude and had zero time outside of the cell. Ten years later, I'm socially awkward and developed a speech impediment. My therapist tells me it was a major source of trauma in my life.

[oneworldonehome]

“What is freedom except the ability to unite with who you are and why you are here? The inability to do this represents the lack of freedom in all of its manifestations.”
Steps to Knowledge - The Book of Inner Knowing

[aliciaparsons]

I struggle so hard with this. Thank you for giving me some very big topics to battle within myself. I have 4 of 5 family members that go through the prison system regularly and my personal battle with right and wrong and punishment for such is so disorienting now.

[Rezin_]

I've met people at many phases of release after solitary confinement....after 6 months it's scary what it does to a man

[brozbro]

Stop by a nursing home and say hello to your grandparents and parents. Someday, you'll be there, if you live long enough and then, you too will experience solitary confinement.

[cpubanana]

The fact that some schools have started doing this as well is scary...