Solitary: the Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish It

307 Pages·2017·72.855 MB·English

by  Kupers, Terry Allen

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