SOLITARY
CONFINEMENT:
RESOURCE
MATERIALS
Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: General














A Critical Look at Supermax Prisons (Sept. 2005), Daniel P. Mears, Corrections
Compendium, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 6-7, 45, 49
A Sourcebook on Solitary Confinement (2008), Sharon Shalev, Mannheim Centre for
Criminology
Administrative Segregation, Degrees of Isolation, and Incarceration: A National
Overview of State and Federal Correctional Policies (June 2013), Metcalf et al., Yale
Law School
Administrative Segregation from Within: A Corrections Perspective (March 2008),
Maureen O’Keefe, The Prison Journal, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 123-143 (must subscribe)
Alcatraz and Marion: Evaluating Super-Maximum Custody (Jan. 2003), David A.
Ward & Thomas G. Werlich, Punishment & Society, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 53-75 (must
subscribe)
An Assessment of Supermax Prisons Using an Evaluation Research Framework
(2008), Daniel Mears, The Prison Journal, Vol. 88, no. 1: 43–68 (must subscribe)
Barred from Treatment: Punishment of Drug Users in New York State Prisons,
Human Rights Watch (2009)
Boxed In: The True Cost of Extreme Isolation in New York’s Prisons (2012), New
York Civil Liberties Union
Bureau of Prisons: Improvements Needed in Bureau of Prisons’ Monitoring and
Evaluation of Impact of Segregated Housing 39, United States Government
Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters (May 2013)
Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement in Arizona’s Prisons and Jails (May 2007),
Caroline Isaacs & Matthew Lowen, American Friends Service Committee – Arizona
Cold Storage: Super-Maximum Security Confinement in Indiana (1997), Human
Rights Watch
Comm’n on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons Confronting Confinement: A
Report of the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons, John J.
Gibbons & Nicholas de B. Katzenbach (2006)
Confronting Confinement (2006), The Commission on Safety and Abuse in
America’s Prisons

1






















Cruel Isolation: Amnesty International’s Concerns about Conditions in Arizona
Maximum Security Prisons (April 2012), Amnesty International
Dignity Denied: LGBT Immigrants in U.S. Immigration Detention, Sharita Gruberg,
Center for American Progress (November 2013)
Doing Time: A Qualitative Study of Long-Term Incarceration and the Impact of
Mental Illness, Suzanne Yang et al., 32 Int’l J.L. Psychiatry 294 (2009)
Effects of Supermax Custody (2005) Roy D. King, in The Effects of Imprisonment,
Alison Liebling and Shadd Maruna, Eds. (2005), Willian Publishing, pp. 118-145
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Supermax Confinement (2006), Daniel P. Mears,
Urban Institute
Hidden Prisons: Twenty-Three-Hour Lockdown Units in New York State Correctional
Facilities (2004), Jennifer R. Wynn and Alisa Szatrowski, 24 Pace L. Rev. 497
Housing for the “Worst of the Worst” Inmates: Public Support for Supermax Prisons
(June 2013), Mears et al., Crime & Delinquency, vol. 59, no. 4, pp. 587-615 (must
subscribe)
Inmate Suicide and Time Spent in Special Disciplinary Housing in New York State
Prison (2007), B. Way, D. Sawyer, S. Barboza & R. Nash, Psychiatric Services
Inside the Box, ACLU of New Mexico & The New Mexico Center on Law & Poverty
(October 2013)
Invisible in Isolation (September 2012), Heartland Alliance National Immigrant
Justice Center and Physicians for Human Rights
Isolated Confinement in Michigan: Mapping the Circles of Hell (Spring 2013),
Elizabeth Alexander & Patricia Streeter, Michigan Journal of Race and Law, vol. 18,
no. 2, pp. 251-274 (must subscribe)
“It’s Like Living in a Black Hole”: Women of Color and Solitary Confinement in the
Prison Industrial Complex (Summer 1998), Cassandra Shaylor, New Eng. J. on
Crim. & Civ. Confinement, vol. 24 (must subscribe)
Marionization of American Prisons (Fall 1992), R. Immarigeon, National Prison
Project Journal, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1-5
Out of Sight: Super-Maximum Security Confinement in the United States (2000),
Human Rights Watch
Parole, Snitch, or Die: California’s Supermax Prisons and Prisoners (December
2012), Keramet A. Reiter, Punishment & Society, vol. 14, no. 5 (must subscribe)
Pathological Effects of the Supermaximum Prison (2005), Lorna Rhodes, A.J. Public
Health, vol. 95, no. 10
Prisons Within Prisons: The Use of Segregation in the United States (October 2011),
Browne et al., Federal Sentencing Reporter, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 46-49 (must
subscribe)
Purposes, Practices, and Problems of Supermax Prisons (2001), Leena Kurki &
Norval Morris, Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, vol. 28, Univ. of Chicago
Press, pp. 385-434
The Rise and Rise of Supermax, Roy D. King, 1 Punishment & Soc’y 163 (1999)
Solitary Confinement in the Correctional Setting – Goals, Problems, and
Suggestions (1974), P. Suedfeld, Corrective and Social Psychiatry, vol. 20, pp. 1020
2






















Solitary Confinement: Protection or Punishment (2004), English et al., Journal of
Medical Ethics, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 330
Supermax as a Technology of Punishment (June 2007), Lorna A. Rhodes, Social
Research
Supermax: Controlling Risk Through Solitary Confinement (2009), Sharon Shalev,
Willan Publishing
Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism, Daniel P. Mears & William D. Bales,
Criminology (Oct. 2009) (must subscribe)
Supermax Prisons and the Trajectory of Exception (2009), Lorna A. Rhodes, Studies
in Law, Politics, and Society, vol. 47, pp. 193-218
Supermax Prisons Myths, Realities, and the Politics of Punishment in American
Society (2006) J.M. Pizarro et al., Criminal Justice Policy Review, Vol. 17/no. 1, p. 621
Supermax Prisons: Overview and General Considerations, Chase Riveland, U.S.
Dep’t of Justice, Nat’l Inst. of Corrs. (1999)
Supermax Prisons: Their Rise, Current Practices, and Effect on Inmates (2004),
Jesenia Pizzaro & Vanja M.K. Stenius, Prison Journal, vol. 84, no. 2, pp. 248-264
Supermax Prisons: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and Where We Are
Going (2008), Jesenia M. Pizarro & Raymund E. Narag, The Prison Journal, vol. 88,
no. 1, pp. 23-42 (must subscribe)
Supermax Prisons: Overview and General Considerations (1999), Chase Riveland,
U.S. Dept. of Justice, National Institute of Corrections
Survivor’s Manual: Survival in Solitary – A Manual Written by and for People Living
in Control Units (June 2012), Bonnie Kerness, American Friends Service Committee
Telling the Story: A Study in the Segregation of Women Prisoners (Spring 2001),
Joane Martel, Social Justice, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 196-215
The Elusive Data on Supermax Confinement (2008), A. Naday et al., The Prison
Journal, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 69-93 (must subscribe)
The Effects of Solitary Confinement on Prison Inmates: A brief history and review of
the literature (2006), P.S. Smith, Crim. Just. 34:441–568 (must subscribe)
The Cost of Long-Term Isolation: A Need for Accountability and Policy Safeguards
in Supermax Prisons Across the United States (2009), Aaron Ceresnie, Adler School
of Professional Psychology
The Prison Inside the Prison: Control Units, Supermax Prisons, and Devices of
Torture (2003), Rachel Kamel & Bonnie Kerness, American Friends Service
Committee
The Theory and Practice of Supermax Prisons (2006), Daniel P. Mears & Michael D.
Reisig, Punishment & Society, vol. 8, no. 1, pp.33-57 (must subscribe)
Towards a Fair and Balanced Assessment of Supermax Prisons (June 2006), Daniel
P. Mears & Jamie Watson, Justice Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 232-270
USP Marion: The First Federal Supermax (March 2008), Stephen C. Richards, The
Prison Journal, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 6-22 (must subscribe)
Wardens’ Views on the Wisdom of Supermax Prisons (2006), D. Nears & J. Castro,
Crime & Delinquency, Vol. 52/no. 3, p. 398-431(must subscribe)

3

Mental Health Effects of Extreme Isolation


















A Corrections Quandary: Mental Illness and Prison Rules (2006), 41 Harv. C.R.C.L. L. Rev. 391
A Culture of Harm: Taming the Dynamics of Cruelty in Supermax Prisons (2008),
Craig Haney, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 35: 956-984 (must subscribe)
Assessment of Psychosocial Impairment in a Supermaximum Security Sample
(2006), Cloyes et al., Criminal Justice and Behavior, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 760-781
(must subscribe)
Beyond Supermax Administrative Segregation: Mississippi’s Experience Rethinking
Prison Classification and Creating Alternative Mental Health Programs (2009),
Kupers et al., Criminal Justice and Behavior, vol. 20, no. 10
Breaking Men’s Minds: Behavior Control and Human Experimentation at the Federal
Prison at Marion, Illinois (1993), Eddie Griffin, Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, vol.
4, no. 2
Changes in EEG Alpha Frequency and Evoked Response Latency During Solitary
Confinement (1972), Gendreau et al., J. Abnorm. Psychol., vol. 79, no. 1, pp.54-9
(must subscribe)
Commentary on Inmate Mental Health, Solitary Confinement, and Cruel and
Unusual Punishment: An Ethical and Justice Policy Inquiry (November 2010), Terry
A. Kupers, Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, vol. 1, pp. 93-97
Does “Isolation” Cause Jail Suicides? (1997), AR Felthous, J Am Acad Psychiatry
Law, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 285-294 (must subscribe)
How to Create Madness in Prison (2006) Terry A. Kupers, MD, MSP, in Humane
Prisons, David Jones, Ed. (2006), Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing
Ill-Equipped: U.S. Prisons and Offenders with Mental Illness (2003), Human Rights
Watch
Inmate Mental Health, Solitary Confinement, and Cruel and Unusual Punishment: An
Ethical and Justice Policy Inquiry (November 2010), Heather Y. Bersot and Bruce A.
Arrigo, Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, vol. 1, pp. 1-82
Inmates in Protective Custody: First Data on Emotional Effects (1988), Stanley L.
Brodsky & Forrest R. Scogin, Forensic Reports, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 267-280 (must
subscribe)
Locked Up Alone: Detention Conditions and Mental Health at Guantanamo (2008),
Human Rights Watch
Management of the Mentally Ill In Administrative Segregation: Legal and
Management Challenges (July 2006), Frederick R. Maue, Corrections Today, vol.
68, no. 4
Mental Health Issues in Long-Term Solitary and 'Supermax' Confinement (2003),
Craig Haney, Crime and Delinquency, vol.49, no. 1 (must subscribe)
Mental Torture: A Critique of Erasures in US Law (2011), David Luban & Henry
Shue, Georgetown Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper No. 11-31
Mosaic of Despair: Human Breakdown in Prison (1992), Hans Toch, American
Psychological Association Books

4




















Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Colorado’s Continued Warehousing of Mentally Ill
Prisoners in Solitary Confinement (July 2013), ACLU of Colorado
Patterns of Disturbed Behavior in a Supermax Population (2008), Lovell, Crim Just &
Behav 35:985-1004 (results of survey of prisoners in Washington’s supermax
facilities) (must subscribe)
Penal Isolation: Beyond the Seriously Mentally Ill (August 2008), Fred Cohen,
Criminal Justice and Behavior, vol. 35, no. 8 (must subscribe)
Prison and the Decimation of Pro-social Life Skills, Terry Kupers, in Psychological
Torture: Phenomenology, Psychiatry, Neurobiology and Ethics: Vol. 5 Trauma and
disaster and psychology (Almerindo Ojeda ed. 2008)
Prison Psychosis (Fall 2000), M. Grayson & L. Taylor, Social Justice, vol. 27, no. 3,
pp. 50-55
Prison Punishment Exacerbates Inmates' Psychiatric Illness (2005), Eve Bender,
Psychiatric News, Vol. 40, no. 21, p. 15
Prison Segregation: Administrative Detention Remedy or Mental Health Problem?
(March 1997), Holly A. Miller & Glenn R. Young, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 85-95 (must
subscribe)
Psychiatric Aspects of Solitary Confinement (2006), Graham D. Glancy & Erin L.
Murray, Victims and Offenders, vol. 1, pp. 361-368
Psychiatric Effects of Solitary Confinement (2006), Stuart Grassian, MD, Wash.
Univ. J. Law & Pol'y, vol. 22:325 (prepared from a statement given to the
Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons)
Psychiatric Morbidity in Prisoners and Solitary Cellular Confinement I: Disciplinary
Segregation (2003), Coid et al., Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, vol.
14, no. 2, pp. 298-319 (must subscribe)
Psychiatric Morbidity in Prisoners and Solitary Cellular Confinement II: Special
(‘Strip’) Cells (2003), Coid et al., Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, vol.
14, no. 2, pp. 320-340 (must subscribe)
Psychiatrists Decry Punishment That Isolates Prisoners (9-03-10), Rich Daly,
Psychiatric News, Vol. 45, no. 17, p. 4
Psychopathological Effects of Solitary Confinement (1983), Stuart Grassian, Am J
Psychiatry, vol. 140, p. 1450-4
Reexamining Psychological Distress in the Current Conditions of Segregation (Fall
1994), H.A. Miller, Journal of Correctional Health Care, vol. 1, pp. 39-53 (must
subscribe)
Regulating Prisons of the Future: A Psychological Analysis of Supermax and Solitary
Confinement (1997), Craig Haney & Mona Lynch, NYU Rev. L. & Soc. Change, vol.
477 (must subscribe)
Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challenge for Medical
Ethics (2010), Metzner & Fellner, J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 38:104–8.
Solitary Confinement as Psychological Punishment (1977), Thomas B. Benjamin &
Kenneth Lux, Cal. W. L. Rev., vol. 13 (must subscribe)
Solitary Confinement: Legal and Psychological Considerations (1989), Maria A.
Luise, New Eng. J. on Crim. & Civ. Confinement, vol. 15 (must subscribe)

5


















Supermax Prisons and the Psychological Effects of Isolation (2008), Human Rights
Watch
Supermax Prisons in the Consciousness of Prisoners (March 2008), Kenneth E.
Hartman, The Prison Journal, vol. 88, no. 1, pp. 169-176 (must subscribe)
The Association of Administrative Segregation Placement and Other Risk Factors
with the Self-Injury-Free Time of Male Prisoners (2009), Eric Lanes, Journal of
Offender Rehabilitation, vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 529-546 (must subscribe)
The Correctional Association of New York, Mental Health in the House of
Corrections: A Study of Mental Health Care in New York State Prisons (2004),
Jennifer R. Wynn, Alisa Szatrowski & Gregory Warner, The Correctional Association
of New York
The Effects of Confinement in the High Security Unit at Lexington (Spring 1988),
Richard Korn, Social Justice, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 8-19
The Impact of a Residential Treatment Unit on the Prison Adjustment of Mentally
Disordered Inmates (2005), Christine Gagliardi, in Stephanie W. Hartwell (ed.) The
Organizational Response to Persons with Mental Illness Involved with the Criminal
Justice System (Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, Volume 12),
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.163-178 (must subscribe)
The Mental Health of Penitentiary Inmates in Isolation (1991), Sheilagh Hodgin and
Gilles Cote, Canadian J. Criminology, vol. 33 (must subscribe)
The Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation, Michael Jackson, 43
Canadian J. Criminology 109 (2001) (must subscribe)
The Psychological Effects of 60 Days in Administrative Segregation, Ivan Zinger et
al., 43 Canadian J. Criminology 47 (2001) (must subscribei)
The Psychological Effects of Solitary Confinement on Prisoners in Supermax Units
Reviewing What We Know and Recommending What Should Change (2008), Arrigo
& Bullock, Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol., vol. 52, no. 6 622-640 (must
subscribe)
The Psychological Impact of Incarceration: Implications for Post-Prison Adjustment
(2002), Craig Haney
The Worst Scars are in the Mind: Psychological Torture (September 2007), Hernán
Reyes, Intl Rev of the Red Cross, Vol. 89, no. 867 591-617
What To Do With The Survivors? Coping With the Long-Term Effects of Isolated
Confinement, Terry A. Kupers, MD, MSP, in Criminal Justice and Behavior (must
subscribe)

Colorado Study and Responses




ACLU and Experts Slam Findings of DOC Report On Solitary Confinement
(Nov. 29, 2010), ACLU of Colorado
Analysis of Colorado’s Administrative Segregation, Maureen L. O’Keefe, Colorado
Dept. of Corrections Office of Planning and Analysis (Mar. 2005)
Bibliotherapy for Cynics Revisited: Commentary on One Year Longitudinal Study of
the Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation (June 2011), Paul Gendreau
and Yvette Theriault, Corrections & Mental Health

6

















Commentary: Toward an Improved Understanding of Administrative Segregation
(Mar. 1, 2013), Berger, et al., J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 61-64
(Response to A Longitudinal Study of Administrative Segregation (Mar. 1, 2013),
O’Keefe, et al., J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 49-60)
Examining the Details of Supermax Confinement: Commentary on a One Year
Longitudinal Study of the Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation (June
2011), Ann Marie Rocheleau, Corrections & Mental Health
Fatal Flaws in the Colorado Solitary Confinement Study (Nov. 15, 2010), Stuart
Grassian, Solitary Watch
Is “Adaptation” the Right Question? Addressing the Larger Context of Administrative
Segregation (June 2011), Lorna A. Rhodes & David Lovell, Corrections & Mental
Health
Memorandum from Lou Archuleta, Interim Director of Prisons Re: Mental Health
Qualifiers, Colorado Department of Corrections (Dec. 10, 2013) (exclusion of the
severally mentally ill from administrative segregation)
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Colorado’s Continued Warehousing of Mentally Ill
Prisoners in Solitary Confinement (July 2013)
One Year Longitudinal Study of the Psychological Effects of Administrative
Segregation (2010), O’Keefe et al.
Supermax prisons: Hell on earth or . . . not so bad after all? (2010), Karen Franklin,
PhD, Forensic Psychology blog
The Colorado Study vs. the Reality of Supermax Confinement (2011), S. Grassian,
MD, JD & T. Kupers MD, MSP, Correctional Mental Health Report
The Context and Clarification of a Single Study: Response to Commentaries on One
Year Longitudinal Study of the Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation
(June 2011), O’Keefe et al. Corrections & Mental Health
The Effects of Solitary Confinement: Commentary on One Year Longitudinal Study
of the Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation (June 2011), Peter
Scharff Smith, Corrections & Mental Health
The Ethics of Empirics and Evidence in Isolation: Sustaining Critical Investigations
and Promoting Best Practices (June 2011), Kristin G. Cloyes, Corrections & Mental
Health
Though this be Method, yet there is Madness in’t: Commentary on One Year
Longitudinal Study of the Psychological Effects of Administrative Segregation (June
2011), Sharon Shalev & Monica Lloyd, Corrections & Mental Health
What Should We Think About the Study on the Psychological Impact
of Confinement at Colorado State Penitentiary? A Human Rights Perspective
(May/June 2011), Jamie Fellner, Correctional Mental Health Report, vol. 13, no. 1,
pp. 5-16

Solitary Confinement of Youth


Alone and Afraid: Children Held in Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Juvenile
Detention and Correctional Facilities (2013), ACLU
7























Caging Children in Crisis (2009), National Institute of Corrections
Conditions of Confinement: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential
Placement (May 2010), Andrea J. Sedlak & Karla S. McPherson, Juvenile Justice
Bulletin
Custody and Control: Conditions of Confinement in New York’s Juvenile Prisons for
Girls (2006), ACLU
Declaration of Stuart Grassian (8-18-2009), filed in K.C. v. Townsend [challenge to
use of punitive solitary confinement in juvenile correction facility in Texas]
Early Identification of Seclusion and Restraint Patterns During Adolescents’ Course
of Residential Treatment (2010), dosReis et al., Residential Treatment for Children
and Youth, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 160-174 (must subscribe)
Growing Up Locked Down – Youth Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisons Across
the United States (2012), ACLU and Human Rights Watch
Isolation and Restraint in Juvenile Correctional Facilities (March 1990), J. Mitchell
and C. Varley, J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 251-5
(must subscribe)
Jailing Juveniles (2007), Campaign for Youth Justice
JDAI Standards: Isolation and Voluntary Time Outs, Detention Facility SelfAssessment: A Practical Guide to Juvenile Detention Reform (AECF, 2006)
Juvenile Inmates in an Adult Prison System: Rates of Disciplinary Misconduct and
Violence (2008), Kuanliang et al., Criminal Justice and Behavior, vol. 35, no. 9, pp.
1186-1201 (must subscribe)
Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System in Texas (March 2011), Michele
Deitch, University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs
Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey, Lindsay M. Hayes, OJJDP
Report from the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (Feb. 2009)
Letter of Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General to Governor Mitch Daniels re:
Investigation of the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility, Indianapolis, Indiana
(Jan. 2010)
The Missouri Model: Reinventing the Practice of Rehabilitating Youthful Offenders,
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2010)
Reducing Isolation and Room Confinement, Performance Based Standards (PBS)
(Sept. 2012)
Reforming Juvenile Detention in Florida (August 2005), Vanessa Patiño & Barry
Krisberg, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Remarks before the Fourteenth Annual National Juvenile Corrections and Detention
Forum, Stephen H. Rosenbaum (May 1999)
Safety and Welfare Remedial Pan: Implementing Reform in California, California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Juvenile Justice (July 2006)
Seclusion and Restraint: Federal Statutes and Regulations (2010), NDRN
Seclusion, Segregation and Isolation in Juvenile Correction Facilities (2005), NDRN
Advocacy Guide
Standards for Juvenile Justice: A Summary and Analysis, Barbara Danzinger Flicker
(ABA), Juvenile Standards Justice Project (2d ed.1982)

8









Testimony of Andrea Weisman (Sept. 18, 2007), Juvenile Justice Hearing, United
States House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy
Families and Communities
Testimony of the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (June 2012), Subcommittee
on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the Senate Judiciary
Committee
The Consequences Aren’t Minor: The Impact of Trying Youth as Adults and
Strategies for Reform (Mar. 21, 2007), Campaign for Youth Justice
The False Promise of Adolescent Brain Science in Juvenile Justice (2009), Terry A.
Maroney, Notre Dame Law Rev., Vol. 85, no. 1, 89-176
The Harmful Use of Isolation in Juvenile Facilities: The Need for Post-Disposition
Representation (2012), Simkins et al., Wash. U. J.L. & Pol’Y, vol. 38, pp. 241-287
Three Adolescents with Mental Illness in Punitive Segregation at Rikers Island
(2013), Staff Report, The City of New York Board of Correction
Youth in Prisons and Training Schools: Perceptions and Consequences of the
Treatment-Custody Dichotomy (Feb. 1989), Forst et al., Juvenile and Family Court
Journal, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 1-14 (must subscribe)

Cost Issues






Benefit-Cost Analysis of Supermax Prisons: Critical Steps and Considerations
(August 2004), Sarah Lawrence & Daniel P. Mears, Urban Institute, Justice Policy
Center
Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement in Arizona’s Prisons and Jails (May 2007),
Caroline Isaacs and Matthew Lowen), American Friends Service Committee –
Arizona
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Supermax Prisons (March 2006), Daniel P. Mears,
Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center
Tamms Correctional Center Closing-Fact Sheet (2012), Illinois Department of
Corrections, The State of Illinois (p. 142 of 698)
The Department of Corrections Announces the Closure of Colorado State
Penitentiary II (March 19, 2012), Department of Corrections

Violence and Public Safety Impacts




Do Harsher Prison Conditions Reduce Recidivism?: A Discontinuity-Based
Approach (2007), M. Keith Chen & Jesse M. Shapiro, American Law and Economics
Review, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-29
Effects of Increased Security on Prison Violence (1975), Howard Bidna, Journal of
Criminal Justice, vol. 3, pp. 33-46 (must subscribe)
Felony and Violent Recidivism Among Supermax Prison Inmates in Washington
State: A Pilot Study (2004), D. Lovell & C. Johnson, University of Washington

9












Inmate Social Ties and Transitions to Society: Does Visitation Reduce Recidivism?
(August 2008), William D. Bales & Daniel P. Mears, Journal of Research in Crime
and Delinquency, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 287-321 (must subscribe)
Lifetime Lockdown: How Isolation Conditions Impact Prisoner Reentry (August
2012), American Friends Service Committee
A Longitudinal Study of Prisoners on Remand: Repeated Measure of
Psychopathology in the Initial Phase of Solitary Versus Nonsolitary Confinement,
H.S. Andersen et al., 26 Int’l J.L. & Psychiatry 165 (2003) (must subscribe)
A Meta-analysis of the Predictors of Adult Recidivism: What Works! (1996),
Gendreau et al., Criminology, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 575-608 (must subscribe)
Recidivism of Supermax Prisoners in Washington State (October 2007), Lovell et al.,
Crime & Delinquency, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 633-656 (must subscribe)
Reentry Trends in the United States: Inmates Returning to the Community After
Serving Time in Prison (2003), Timothy Hughes and Doris James Wilson, US
Department of Justice
Reintegrating Seriously Violent and Personality-Disordered Offenders From a SuperMaximum Security Institution Into the General Offender Population (August 2005),
Wong et al., Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol., vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 362-75
The Effect of Supermaximum Security Prisons on Aggregate Levels of Institutional
Violence (2003), Briggs et al., Criminology, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 1341-1376 (must
subscribe)
Violence in Prisons, Revisited (2007), Hans Toch & Terry A. Kupers, Journal of
Offender Rehabilitation, vol. 45, no. 3-4 (must subscribe)
Violence in the Supermax: A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (2008), King et al., The Prison
Journal, vol. 88, no. 144 (must subscribe)

Alternatives







Beyond Supermax Administrative Segregation: Mississippi’s Experience Rethinking
Prison Classification and Creating Alternative Mental Health Programs (2009),
Kupers et al., Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 20, no. 10
Change is Possible (March 2013), Zachary Heiden, American Civil Liberties Union of
Maine
Colorado Department of Corrections Administrative Segregation and Classification
Review (October 2011), James Austin & Emmitt Sparkman, National Institute of
Corrections
Final Report of Review of Due Process Procedures in Special Management Units at
the Maine State Prison and the Maine Correctional Center (March 2011)
How Much Risk Can We Take? The Misuse of Risk Assessment in Corrections
(2006), James Austin, PhD, Federal Probation, vol. 70, no. 2
Strategic Segregation in the Modern Prison (2011), Sharon Dolovich, American
Criminal Law Review, vol. 48, no. 1

10



Reducing Prison Misconducts: What Works! (April 2006), Sheila A. French and Paul
Gendreau, Criminal Justice and Behavior, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 185-218 (must
subscribe)

Litigation Documents and Legal Analysis of Solitary Confinement
















Bacote v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, Case No. 1:12-cv-01570 (D. Colo., June 18,
2012) (Complaint re: Conditions of confinement at ADX Supermax)
C.B., et al. v. Walnut Grove Correctional Authority, et al., Case No. 3:10-cv-663
(S.D. Miss.) (Consent Decree, February 3, 2012 prohibiting solitary confinement of
youth in Mississippi)
DAI v. OMH, No. 02-CIV-4002(GEL) (S.D.N.Y.)
 Complaint (S.D.N.Y. May 28, 2002)
 Settlement (S.D.N.Y. May 25, 2007)
 Expert Report of Terry Kupers, MD, MSP (PART I) (S.D.N.Y. June 1, 2005)
(mental illness in isolation)
 Expert Report of Terry Kupers, MD, MSP (PART II) (S.D.N.Y. June 1, 2005)
(mental illness in isolation)
 Expert Report of Steven J. Martin (S.D.N.Y. June 1, 2005) (mental illness in
isolation)
Declaration of Stuart Grassian, MD (2009) (regarding solitary confinement at
Guantanamo)
Decrees and settlements (click on the case type of prison conditions, then look for
cases by issue)
Dockery v. Epps, Case No. 3:13-cv-326-TSL-JMR (S.D. Miss., May 30, 2013)
(Complaint)
Expert Report of Stuart Grassian, MD, JD, No. 6:09-CV-012, (N.D. Tex. August 31,
2009) (juvenile isolation)
Expert Report of Anne M. Nelsen, MSW, MPA, (N.D. Tex. August 31, 2009) (juvenile
isolation)
Edmund LaChance v. Commissioner of Correction, et al.: Amicus brief submitted by
the ACLU National Prison Project and the ACLU of Massachusetts regarding the
harms of solitary of solitary confinement and recent state level reforms in
correctional practice
Parsons v. Ryan, Case No. CV-10-2070-PHX-JWS (MEA) (D. Arizona, March 6,
2012) (formerly Gamez v. Ryan) (Complaint)
Illinois v. Gay, Case Nos. 4-10-0369, 4-10-0370, 4-10-0371 (cons.) (App. Ill. April 1,
2011), Brief and Argument for Amici
Jones v. Gusman (E.D. La. June 6, 2013) (Complaint)
Jones’ El v. Jon Litscher, Case No. 00-C-421-C, W.D. Wis.
 Declaration of Terry A. Kupers, M.D., M.S.P. (8-09-2001)
 “Judgment” and “Settlement Agreement,” Jones’ El v Jon Litscher, Case No.
00-C-421-C (W.D. Wis. 6-24-02)

11














Justice Department Finds Pennsylvania State Prison’s Use of Solitary Confinement
Violates Rights of Prisoners Under the Constitution and Americans with Disabilities
Act (May 31, 2013), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ Cresson Findings)
KC v. Townsend, (N.D. Tex. August 31, 2009)
OP&A v. Choinski, Settlement Agreement, No. 3:03CV1352 (RNC) (D.Conn. 3-0804)
Presley v. Epps, No. 4:05CV148-JAD (N.D. Miss. June 22, 2005)
 Complaint
 Expert Report of James Austin, (N.D. Miss. November 15, 2007)
(classification)
 Supplemental Consent Decree, No. 4:05CV148-JAD (N.D. Miss. November 3,
2007)
Prolonged Solitary Confinement and the Constitution, Jules Lobel, Univ. of
Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, Vol. 11, No. 115, 126, 2008; U. of
Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-19
Report of Mental Health Issues at Los Angeles County Jail, Terry A. Kupers, MD,
MSP (June 27, 2009)
Silverstein v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, No. 07-CV-02471-PAB-KMT (D. Col.
February 4, 2011), Declaration (redacted)
Solitary Confinement – Punishment Within the Letter of the Law, or Psychological
Torture (1972), R.H. Thoenig, Wisconsin Law Review, Issue 1, pp. 223-311 (must
subscribe)
The Common Law of Supermax Litigation (2004), David Fathi, 24 Pace L. Rev. 675
The Most Restrictive Alternative: A Litigation History of Solitary Confinement in US
Prisons, 1960-2006 (2012), Keramet A. Reiter, Studies in Law, Politics, and Society,
vol. 57, pp. 71-124
Wilkinson v. Austin, 545 U.S. 209 (2005) (No. 04-495), Brief of Amici Curiae
Professors and Practitioners of Psychology and Psychiatry

International Resources
Human Rights Analysis






A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management (2002), Andrew Coyle,
International Centre for Prison Studies
Solitary Confinement: An Introduction to the Istanbul Statement on the Use and
Effects of Solitary Confinement (2008), Peter Scharff Smith, Torture, vol. 18, no.1.
Solitary Confinement – History, Practice, and Human Rights Standards (2009), Peter
Scharff Smith, Prison Service, vol. 181, no. 3
Solitary Confinement and International Human Rights: Why the U.S. Prison System
Fails Global Standards (2005), E. Vasiliades, Am. U. Int’l L. Rev. Vol. 21, p.71
Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: A Human Rights and Ethical Analysis
(2011), Sharon Shalev, Journal of Forensic Psychology Practic, vol. 11, no. 2-3, pp.
151-183 (must subscribe)

12



Torture vs Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment – Is the Distinction Real
or Apparent? (March 2007), Metin Baoglu, Maria Livanou, Cvetana Crnobaric, Arch.
Gen. Psychiatry, Vol. 64, no. 277

Treaties and Conventions





Convention against Torture (CAT), A/RES/39/46 (Dec. 10, 1984), U.N.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), opened for signature Nov. 20, 1989,
1577 U.N.T.S. 3 (entered into force Sept. 2, 1990) (the United States signed the
CRC in 1995 but has not ratified)
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Arts. 10, 14(4), opened
for signature Dec. 16, 1966, S. Exec. Rep. 102-23, 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into
force Mar. 23, 1976) (ratified by U.S. June 8, 1992)
The American Convention on Human Rights (“Pact of San José, Costa Rica”),
Article 19, states, “Every minor child has the right to the measures of protection
required by his condition as a minor on the part of his family, society, and the state.”
Organization of American States, American Convention on Human Rights, Nov. 22,
1969, O.A.S.T.S. No. 36, 1144 U.N.T.S. 123 (entered into force July 18, 1978),
reprinted in Basic Documents Pertaining to Human Rights in the Inter-American
System, OEA/Ser.L.V/II.82 doc.6 rev.1 at 25 (1992)

Reports, Standards, and Statements












European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment, 21st General Report of the Council of Europe Committee
for Prevention of Torture (COE-CPT) 76 (2011)
Expert Report by Prof. Richard J. Wilson, K.C. v. Townsend, No. 6:09-CV-012, (N.D.
Tex. August 31, 2009) (Customary International Law Applies and Supports U.S. Law
to Bar or Limit Use of Certain Disciplinary Measure Taken Against Girls at Ron
Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex)
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR): Annex to the Press Release
Issued at the Close of the 147th Session (Apr. 5, 2013), 147th Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights
Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, Interim Rep. of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, U.N. Doc. A/66/268 (Aug. 5, 2011)
(by Juan Mendez)
Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, Interim Rep. of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ¶¶ 78-85, Annex (Istanbul
Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement), U.N. Doc A/63/175 (July
28, 2008) (by Manfred Nowak)
The Istanbul statement on the use and effects of solitary confinement (adopted 12-09-2007 at the International Psychological Trauma Symposium, Istanbul)
U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, 44th Sess., General Comment No. 10,
Children’s rights in juvenile justice, U.N. Doc. CRC/C/GC/10 (2007)
U.N. Declaration on the Rights of the Child, G.A. Res. 1386 (XIV), U.N. Doc. A/4354
(Nov. 20, 1959)
13




U.N. Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (“The Riyadh
Guidelines”), G.A. Res. 45/112, Annex, 45 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49A), U.N. Doc.
A/45/49, at 201 (Dec. 14, 1990)
U.N. Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty (“The Beijing
Rules”), G.A. Res. 45/113, Annex, 45 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49A), U.N. Doc.
A/45/49, ¶ 67 (Dec. 14, 1990)

Advocacy Documents




ACLU submission on Solitary Confinement to UNHRC 16th Session (February 23,
2011)
ACLU submission on Solitary Confinement to UNHRC 19th Session (March 8, 2012)
NRCAT's request to the Special Rapporteur on Torture to investigate solitary
confinement in the U.S. (May 16, 2011)

Legislation and Policy Reform
Federal Resources
 Bureau of Prisons: Improvements Needed in Bureau of Prisons’ Monitoring and
Evaluation of Impact of Segregated Housing 39, United States Government
Accountability Office, Report to Congressional Requesters (May 2013)
 S.162, 113th Congress (2013). (Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act)
 S.744, 113th Cong. (2013) (enacted). (Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and
Immigration Modernization Act: regarding limitations on solitary confinement in
immigration detention centers)
 Smart on Crime: Recommendations for the Administration and Congress (2011)
 Reassessing Solitary Confinement: The Human Rights, Fiscal, and Public Safety
Consequences (June 19, 2012), Hearing before the Subcommittee on the
Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights of the Senate Committee on the
Judiciary
 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Review of the Use of Solitary
Confinement for ICE Detainees (Sep. 4, 2013), Department of Homeland Security
State Resources
 Model Act: Improving Public Safety, Protecting Vulnerable Populations & Ensuring
Due Process in Imposing Long-term Isolated Confinement (2011), ACLU National
Prison Project
 California
 Juveniles: solitary confinement, Senate Bill 61 (passed Assembly Public
Safety Committee as amended and re-referred to Committee on
Appropriations, June 25,13)
 Colorado
 Concerning Appropriate Use of Restrictive Confinement, Senate Bill 176
(proposed and passed, 2011)

14















Florida
 Youth in Solitary Confinement, Senate Bill 812/House Bill 959 (2013)
Illinois
 Tamms Correctional Center Closing-Fact Sheet (2012), Illinois Department of
Corrections, The State of Illinois (p. 142 of 698)
Maine
 Building a Successful Statewide Legislative Campaign to Limit the Use of
Solitary Confinement: Lessons from Maine in 2010, NRCAT(2010)
 Resolve, Directing the Department of Corrections To Coordinate Review of
Due Process Procedures and To Ensure Transparency in Policies Regarding
the Placement of Special Management Prisoners, Legislative Document 1611
(introduced 2009, amended and report passed 2010)
Massachusetts
 An Act relative to the appropriate use of solitary confinement, Senate Bill
1133 (2013)
Montana
 Generally prohibiting the use of solitary confinement for juveniles, House Bill
536 (2013)
Nevada
 An Act relating to the administration of justice, Senate Bill 107 (amended and
passed 2013)
New Hampshire
 Relative to Solitary Confinement, House Bill 480 (due out of committee, Nov.
22, 2013)
New Mexico
 Requesting the New Mexico Sentencing Commission to Convene a Working
Group to Gather Information Regarding the Use of Solitary Confinement,
Senate Memorial 40 (amended, passed 2011)
New York
 N.Y. COR. LAW § 137 : NY Code - Section 137: Program of treatment,
control, discipline at correctional facilities, effective July 1, 2011
 An Act to amend the correction law and the mental hygiene law, in relation to
confinement conditions and treatment of convicted persons with serious
mental illness, Senate Bill S06422/Assembly Bill A09342 (SHU Exclusion
Law, introduced 2007, passed 2008)
Texas
 Senate Bill 1003 (amended and passed 2013); House Bill 1266 (sent to
calendars 2013)
 Relating to the collection of data regarding the placement of a child in
disciplinary seclusion in a juvenile facility, SB 1517 (placed on general state
calendar May 21, 2013 (H), last day of 83rd Regular Session was May 27,
2013)
 Relating to the reporting of certain information regarding inmates and the use
of administrative segregation by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,
SB 1802/HB 686 (left pending in committee, last day of 83rd Regular Session
was May 27, 2013)
15



Relating to the use of administrative segregation or seclusion in county jails,
SB 1357 (in committee, last day of 83rd Regular Session was May 27, 2013)

Standards and Resolutions



















American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Statement Against
Youth in Solitary (Apr. 2012)
American Bar Association: ABA Criminal Justice Standards on the Treatment of
Prisoners, approved by the ABA House of Delegates (Feb. 2010)
American Bar Association: Youth in the Criminal Justice System: Guidelines for
Policymakers and Practitioners (2001)
American Correctional Association: Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions,
(4th ed., Jan. 2003) (must purchase)
American Psychiatric Association: APA Position Statement on Segregation of
Prisoners with Mental Illness (2012)
American Public Health Association: Addressing Solitary Confinement as a Public
Health Issue (2013, Full Policy Statement Available in Early 2014)
Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility: Human Rights and
Professional Ethics—Ending Design for Torture and Killing (Campaign to have the
American Institute of Architects ban the building of Supermax Prisons)
Commissioner’s Resolution on Prolonged Solitary Confinement in US Prisons
(2012), 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Improvements Needed in Bureau of Prisons’ Monitoring and Evaluation of Impact of
Segregated Housing (May 2013), United States Government Accountability Office
Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative: JDAI Standards: Isolation and
Voluntary Time Outs, Detention Facility Self-Assessment: A Practical Guide to
Juvenile Detention Reform (AECF, 2006)
National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI Policy Statement Against the Use of
Solitary Confinement on Individuals with Mental Illness
National Commission on Correctional Health: Psychiatric Services in Jails and
Prisons (2d Ed., 2000) (must purchase)
National Commission on Correctional Health: Standards for mental health
services in correctional facilities (2008) (must purchase)
National Communication Association: Resolution Regarding Extended Solitary
Confinement and Torture, adopted by the Legislative Assembly (Nov. 2010)
National Religious Campaign Against Torture: Statement on Ending Prolonged
Solitary Confinement in all 50 States
Mental Health America: Position Statement 24: Seclusion and Restraints (Nov.
2010)
Regulating Segregation: The Contribution of the ABA Criminal Justice Standards on
the Treatment of Prisoners (2010), Margo Schlanger, American Criminal Law
Review, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 1421-1440
New York State Bar Association: Resolution on Solitary Confinement and Report
to the House of Delegates (Jan. 25, 2013)
16






New York State Council of Churches: Resolution Opposing the Use of Prolonged
Solitary Confinement in the Correctional Facilities of New York State and New York
City (Sept. 2012)
Rabbinical Assembly: Resolution on Prison Conditions and Prisoner Isolation (May
2012)
Resource Document on the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Correctional Mental
Health Care (2007), Metzner et al., J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, vol. 35, no. 4, pp.
417-25
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: SAMHSA
National Action Plan on Seclusion and Restraint (2008)

Advocacy Organizations










ACLU Stop Solitary Campaign, https://www.aclu.org/we-can-stop-solitary
AFSC Stopmax Campaign, http://www.afsc.org/category/topic/stopmax-campaign
Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility Campaign to Prohibit the
Design of “Supermax” Prisons, http://www.adpsr.org/home/ethics_reform
Human Rights Coalition, www.HRcoalition.org
National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), www.nrcat.org
Solitary Confinement, www.SolitaryConfinement.org
Solitary Watch, www.SolitaryWatch.com
Supermaxed, www.Supermaxed.com
Vera Institute of Justice, Segregation Reduction Project,
http://www.vera.org/project/segregation-reduction-project

Videos and Films













Cruel and Inhuman (2009) (5 mins.)
Enduring Solitary Confinement: See what it's like to be locked away in solitary
confinement (04/09/2010), ABC News
Explorer: Solitary Confinement (2010), National Geographic
Herman’s House (2013), PBS
In the Land of the Free (2010) (documentary film re the “Angola 3” in Louisiana)
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Story of Sam Mandez (2013), ACLU of Colorado.
Solitary confinement abuse in U.S. prisons (2010), YouTube
Solitary Confinement: A Question of Morals, National Religious Campaign Against
Torture
Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard (2012), National Religious
Campaign Against Torture
Survivors (2009), NPR
Testimony of Anthony Graves from Senate Hearing (June 2012) (Survivor of solitary
confinement before he was exonerated and released from Texas death row)
The Death of Timothy Souders (July 22, 2007) [12 mins], 60 Minutes
17




The Gray Box: An Investigative Look at Solitary Confinement (2012) [16 mins.]
The Worst of the Worst (May 2012), Yale Law School, Visual Law Project

18