Nicole IvguiCriminologyMs. KovatDecember 13, 2013Is solitary confinement unconstitutional? Solitary confinement is the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as punishment. Besides the death penalty, imprisonment is the most extreme punishment a prisoner can be sentenced to. Prisoners deserve to have their human rights preserved while incarcerated, just like any ordinary citizen in the United States. Solitary confinement is unconstitutional because it violates the human rights of inmates by isolating them physically and socially, which can inflict serious long-term harm on adolescents. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) has deemed solitary confinement an unconstitutional form of punishment. It says solitary confinement should be classified as torture because it inflicts potential physical and mental harm on detainees. Being confined in a cell for more than 22 hours a day without any human contact is an inhumane practice and cannot be beneficial enough to overcome the consequences an inmate faces upon release. Solitary confinement clearly violates the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.” Solitary confinement is the epitome of torture. Detainees often remember not being able to distinguish the time they spent in detention; hours feel like days and days feel like months. Some prisons use solitary confinement differently than others. The Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) is known as the “most restrictive prison in California.” It is one of the harshest “super maximum” prisons in the country, meaning inmates can be subjected to solitary confinement for either a fixed or indefinite period. It's called "super...... middle of paper......t in solitary confinement because they can't handle solitary confinement." When a human being is confined to a small windowless room, completely isolated from other human beings, the results can only be negative. Communication is the key to survival, people feed off each other to survive. Furthermore, when a human being is deprived of communication and forced to be alone, it is an unfamiliar experience for him. Nothing in life can prepare one for this sick excuse for punishment: the level of isolation one is expected to endure in solitary confinement is inhumane. Young people are much more vulnerable than adults; therefore, the physical and mental effects of isolation take a greater toll on adolescents than adults. It is not only illegal but also callous to subject any human being, let alone a teenager, to such a callous form of “discipline.”.’.