With criminal justice reform becoming a bipartisan policy issue, one of the central arguments bringing conservatives, such as Mike Lee (R-UT), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Rick Perry (R-TX), to the table is the heavy financial burden that comes with imprisoning hundreds of thousands of non-violent, low-level offenders. But a growing number of criminal justice proponents are embracing reform for another reason: the widespread denial of human dignity in prisons across the country.
Along those lines, conservatives are increasingly joining the fight to end solitary confinement on the basis that it constitutes a form of torture and undermines principles of morality and personhood.
According to a report released by the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Monday, 5 percent of the federal prison population was placed in a restricted housing unit as of November 2013. Guidelines for the use of segregation vary across the country, but it is generally used in one of three ways: as a disciplinary measure for prisoner misconduct, to protect inmates and ensure prison safety, and to ensure public safety.
[For more of this story, written by Carimah Townes, go to http://thinkprogress.org/justi...olitary-confinement/]
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