Is long-term solitary confinement torture?

The imposition of long-term isolation—which can be for months or years—is ultimately at the discretion of prison administrators. One former prisoner I spoke to, for example, recalled being put in solitary confinement for petty annoyances like refusing to get out of the shower quickly enough. Bobby Dellelo was put there for escaping. read more

Yes! Long-term solitary confinement is torture. The way that prisoners are treated while incarcerated is horrifying, and solitary confinement is no exception. Often times solitary confinement is used as a spiteful punishment and sometimes it is sentenced without being warranted, like when a guard has a personal issue with an inmate. read more

International human rights experts and bodies have also condemned indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement, recommending that the practice be abolished entirely and arguing that solitary confinement is a human rights abuse that can amount to torture. read more