The devastating psychological toll of long-term isolation in US prisons
In short: What happens to the human mind when it is stripped of all significant social contact? Civil rights lawyer Laura Rovner examines the reality of life in supermax prisons.
In this talk, Laura Rovner explores the dehumanizing impact of long-term solitary confinement, where individuals may spend years or even decades in cells roughly the size of a small bathroom. Drawing on her experience at ADX, the only US federal supermax prison, she details how extreme isolation erodes personality, the sense of self, and mental stability.
Rovner argues for the abolition of the practice, suggesting that solitary confinement is a matter of public responsibility, as these institutions are operated on behalf of the public.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: What happens to people in solitary confinement | Laura Rovner
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