The News and Its Biases

When taking to adults/ teachers/ people with more life experience than I do about college life, I keep on getting told how important it is to pay attention to what is on the news. I take this advice very seriously because I've recently developed an interest in politics, and the political atmosphere is almost constantly changing. These changes vary from shifts in the economy to speeches made by major political figures, and many other things. And I've found that the best way to keep up to date on everything that is happening is to try to keep track of the news.

But one thing I've found is that it can be difficult to find a truly object news source. Almost all news sites and sources are biased in one way or another. I find this to be particularly difficult because I believe in the importance of telling the truth. For me, the truth is a holy thing and being honest is like praying. It's because of this that I tend to be picky with my news sources, and to be honest, I have yet to find a single or even a group of news sources that I truly trust. But for now, I've decided that the best thing a news site can do is let their audience know what their biases are.

While this site is not a news site (I am by no means a journalist, be it an accredited journalist or not), I feel that it is only fair that I admit my own biases and define what this site is. This site is a place that I am going to put my opinions. I do not plan on doing many projects/ posts like I did with the topic of solitary confinement. That, however, does not mean I will not do my best to make any facts I provide are true. But anything that cannot be found to be a fact will most likely be an opinion or personal experience of mine. Additionally, in terms of where I am on the political liberal vs conservative spectrum, I have a major tendency to lean towards the liberal side. I identify as a liberal person, though I am not particularly extreme in my views and ideals. 

So.... I just thought that this is something you should know about me. If this is something you can't deal with, then that's your choice.

Living In Solitude (Audio)

http://www.driveplayer.com/#playlistId=0B-JLHz-WLBwpNnIxTzNwTDN3SjA&userId=101209130628504435844

Works Cited for "Living in Solitude"

Bond, Michael. "Does Solitary Confinement Breach the Eighth Amendment?" - Health. 29 June 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21992-does-solitary-confinement-breach-the-eighth-amendment.html#.VIfrOPnF-gZ>.

"Fact Sheet: Solitary Confinement News from a Nation in Lockdown and the Law." Solitary Watch. 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://solitarywatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/fact-sheet-solitary-confinement-and-the-law.pdf>.

"Speak Outs - Is Solitary Confinement Constitutional?" Annenberg Classroom. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/speakout/is-solitary-confinement-constitutional>.

"The Dangerous Overuse of Solitary Confinement in the United States." American Civil Liberties Union. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <https://www.aclu.org/dangerous-overuse-solitary-confinement-united-states>.

"Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons." Center for Constitution RSS. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://ccrjustice.org/solitary-factsheet>.

"Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons." Centerforconstitutionalright. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://ccrjustice.org/files/CCR-Factsheet-Solitary-Confinement.pdf>.

Living in Solitude

Somewhere there is a person who is spending between 22 and 24 hours in a ten foot by seven foot room with next to no contact with any other people. Most people would consider this to be torture and a violation of human rights. These are the conditions that many prisoners live in, in prisons across the United States, and yet the use of solitary confinement is deemed legal, and even necessary. However, it isn’t very difficult to see that this policy violates the 8^th amendment of the Constitution, which prevents the use of cruel and unusual punishment.

            The main excuse used in support of the use of solitary confinement is that it is being used to punish prisoners who are considered a danger to others and themselves. It is said that solitary confinement is being used to rehabilitate prisoners. However, multiple studies have said otherwise.

            Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or punishment, decided in August 2011 that “even 15 days in solitary confinement constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and 15 days is the limit after which irreversible harmful psychological effects can occur.” This conclusion shows that the use of solitary confinement, even when used for a short amount of time, can cause more harm than help. And there are prisoners who have spent years, even decades, in solitary.

               Senator John McCain has said, “It’s an awful thing, solitary. It crushed your spirit and weakens your resistance more effectively than any other form of mistreatment.” This was said by John McCain, who had spent two years in confinement in a North Vietnamese cell, and he fared better than most prisoners who have lived in solitary confinement. Most fall into insanity, leading to self-mutilation and even suicide. Almost half of all prison suicides are committed by prisoners in solitary confinement. This shows that the use of solitary is more of a tool of torture than a tool of rehabilitation.

            Additionally, there is the argument that solitary is used as a form of punishment for prisoners who misbehave, and that prisoners who spend longer amounts of time in a prison are there because they are considered violent and a danger to themselves and others around them. This has also been found to be potentially false, as a prison in Mississippi eliminated the use of solitary confinement, and overall prison violence went down 50%. If this is so, then there must be a better way to punish violent prisoners than to subject them to torture?

            Ultimately, it can easily be determined that solitary confinement can be considered a cruel punishment; however, it is more difficult to determine if it can be considered an unusual form of punishment. This is more challenging.

            The use of solitary confinement first showed up in the early nineteenth century, with the United States being the leaders of the world in the practice. However, the use of solitary was all but abandoned when the negative effects of isolation quickly became apparent in the prisoners behavior. However, in the recent past, the use of solitary has been taken up again and is now being used in excess. It’s for this excess that it is difficult to determine if it can be considered unusual.

4. And the Ruling Is...

Since 1866, there have been a total of about 35 court cases that have been taken to the Supreme Court. The most recent of these cases (Hope v. Pelzer) took place in 2003.

For many of these cases, judges have deemed solitary confinement to be detrimental to those with pre-existing mental health issues, the same thing hasn't been said about the use of isolation as a whole. Solitary confinement hasn't yet been determined to rise up to the standard of mistreatment needed to be considered cruel and unusual punishment and violate the eighth amendment.

Sources:

• http://solitarywatch.com/facts/faq/
• http://solitarywatch.com/resources/u-s-supreme-court-cases/ 

2. Isolation and Mental Health

Most people will agree with the idea that humans are social creatures. This means that humans are meant to live with other humans and have regular interaction with others. So, if this is true, what would happen to humans who have most, if not all, social interaction with other humans eliminated?

The results that have been found show that the effect of isolation is disastrous on the human psyche.

For many, living in solitary confinement can lead to madness and other mental health problems, no matter the length of time spent in solitary confinement. Though, it is agreed by many, that the minimum amount of time isolated needed to cause permanent damage is between ten and 15 days. Considering that there are prisoners who have spent months, years, or even decades in solitary, it is easy to see why it has been found that at least half of all suicides that occur in prisons are committed by the small percentage of prisoners in solitary confinement.

Extended time spent in solitary confinement has been found to cause "persistent and heightened state of anxiety and nervousness, headaches, insomnia, lethargy or chronic tiredness, nightmares, heart palpitations, and fear of impending nervous breakdowns... obsessive ruminations, confused thought processes, an over-sensitivity to stimuli, irrational anger, social withdrawal, hallucinations, violent fantasies, emotional flatness, mood swings, chronic depression, feelings of overall deterioration, as well as suicidal ideation" (Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons). It has also been found that the  neurological damage caused by solitary confinement is similar to that found in head trauma injuries.

It is because of the damaged caused by solitary confinement that critics believe that solitary confinement is legalized torture.

Sources:

• http://ccrjustice.org/solitary-factsheet
• http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21992-does-solitary-confinement-breach-the-eighth-amendment.html#.VKomavnF-gZ

"No Way Out: Undercover in Solitary Confinement" (ABC News)

"Solitary Confinement: No Way Out of the Monster Factory" (ABC News)

"Solitary Confinement: A Controversial Punishment" (ABC News)

"Solitary Confinement: Is It Torture?" (ABC News)

1. Defining Solitary Confinement

When you Google "what is solitary confinement", the definition you get is "the isolation of a prisoner in a separate cell as a punishment." This definition makes sense because it is in the name of what you are looking for.

Solitary-- alone, separate; 

Confinement-- being confined in a space

But what this definition lacks is the specifics of what solitary confinement is. This definition is neat, clean, and easy to understand, but it doesn't have the grisly details of what is actually happening.

To be more specific, solitary confinement is the act of separating prisoners in isolated cells for between 22 and 24 hours a day with little to no human contact. The cells used are usually either 6 ft by 9 ft or 8 ft by 10 ft and only have a steel sink and toilet. Time spent outside the cell is spent in a small yard with heavy security. The amount of time each prisoner spends in solitary varies. Time spent in solitary has ranged from only days to years and even decades.While each individual prison facilities have their own standards and regulations, these are all qualities that they have.  

Another trait that most facilities have in common is the reason why inmates are put into solitary confinement. This reason is that solitary confinement is a method of punishment for prisoners who don't follow the prisons rules or are deemed a danger to themselves, the other inmates, or the guards. 

Solitary Confinement is also supposed to be used as a last resort, if all other efforts fail; however, that is not the case most of the time. For example, the California Code of Regulations states two dozen "Serious Rules Violations", which include "'Possession of five dollars or more without authorization,' 'Tattooing or possession of tattoo paraphernalia,' 'Participation in a strike or work stoppage,' and 'Self mutilation or attempted suicide for the purpose of manipulation'." Additionally, many prisoners end up in solitary confinement due to accusations of being an active gang member. Many of these accusations come from prisoners already in solitary because they are told that they will be let out if they make these accusations.

Source:

• http://solitarywatch.com/facts/faq/