Self isolation could be worse than any other punishment for prisoners. Of course, physical punishments such as death penalty could be bad, but psychological torture is much worse. Solitary confinement is widely used in prisons worldwide, usually violating human rights. Boredom is not the only effect of isolation. Solitary confinement for long periods of time can mentally harm the prisoner, causing them to take drastic measures. Prisons that use this immoral and unethical way of punishment push away the media, and silence those with information. Solitary confinement can greatly harm a person mentally and physically, and such a practice should not be legal.
Confinement lengths can range from around a day, to even months. Those sentenced to isolation would be put all alone in a tiny cell and are hardly every let out. In the US alone, hundreds of thousands of prisoners have been sentenced to self isolation for very long periods of time, and the numbers still rise. Usually, solitary confinement is used for the suicidal, dangerous, or those who have other related mental illnesses. For those suffering from mental illness or other related sickness, self isolation should be the very last choice. Self isolation could actually drive the prisoner insane, causing them to do even more dangerous things. Solitary confinement last a long time, and can cause insanity in many different ways.
Many prisoners who have experienced self isolation have described their horrible experiences. Being isolated for long periods of time can cause a person to question themselves. Without any connection to the outside world, many prisoners find themselves taking desperate measures. Some would yell as loud as they could to try and communicate with other prisoners. Others resorted to harmful methods such as self harming and suicide, and many were successful. Some prisoners who have experienced solitary confinement could not even describe the experience into words, so they use forms of art instead. Solitary confinement has permanently affected prisoners in some of the worst ways possible.
Some might argue that the worst and most terrible criminals deserve such physiological torture. This is wrong, as solitary confinement should never be the correct choice. It is the human right of the prisoner to have have access to the outside world. If criminals should have the right to hire a lawyer or attorney, why should prisoners be deprived of their basic human right of social communication. If it comes to a certain point, there are other methods of punishments such as the death penalty. This goes to show that solitary confinement is not the right method for helping or punishing prisoners.
To make the situation even worse, little is known about solitary confinement use in prisons. Prisons usually block out the media, refusing interviews and journalists. Mail is even prohibited or tampered with. On the rare occasion of a family member being allowed to visit, they will be tightly monitored, in case any information is leaked. If a family member somehow got important information, the would be sworn to secrecy, as a result of the government. Prisons block out the media, giving them full control over prisoners, leaving them helpless.
Solitary confinement can substantially harm a human being mentally and physically, and such a practice should never be allowed. Isolation can cause prisoners to take desperate measures, causing them to self harm, and drives others to suicide. Prisons block out the media, a silence those with an opinion. No matter how big of a crime, prisoners should never be sentenced to such inhumane practices.