INTRODUCTION This study investigated the psychological effects on pri son inmates of the use of solitary confinement. The major goal of the study was to assess the desirability of a continuation of the use of solitary confinement as a means of maintaining control over a prison population, in light of adverse psycholo gical effects on prisoners of such confinement.
From the mid 1970s through the mid 1980s, the American prison population increased by 84 percent from approximately 285 thousand to around 524,000 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1988). Per 100 thousand population, the increase was from 129 to 216. Since the mid 1980s, the prison population has contin ued to climb, however, at a slightly reduced rate (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990).
During this same time period since the mid 1970s, the rate of both violent crime and property crime in the United States has escalated (Federal of Bureau of Investigation, 1990). While the crime rate has increased, and the demand for prison space has increased, prison capacity has remained rela tively steady (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990). One effect of the interaction of these three trends has been a shift in the prison population toward a much higher proportion of vio lent crime offenders (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1990).
For the correctional officers responsible for the adminis tration of prisons, and the maintenance of prisoner welfare, the increase in the proportion of violent offenders housed in the nation's prison facilities has created a nightmarish situa tion with respect to control, preservation of order, and main tenance of safety for both prisoners and prison staff. The use of solitary confinement has been demonstrated as one effective weapon in the correction officer's arsenal for these purposes (Goldfarb and Singer, 1988).
Unfortunately, solitary confinement also has detrimental psychological effects on prisoners subjected to the punishment (Sil...