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Author: To read Andrea Fionda and Scott Moyer's article, please click here.

Fifty percent of prison suicides are carried out by individuals in solitary confinement. This disturbing statistic begs the question: When a criminal “justice” policy drives half of those subject to it to end their lives, what purpose is it serving? Whose safety is it ensuring?

Solitary confinement is by no means implemented as a last resort. Incarcerated people are placed in isolation for a range of reasons—from committing violent acts to something as benign as being caught with a pack of cigarettes. The tactic has evolved into a means of control and has even been used to contain political activism in prisons. Right now, an estimated 80,000 individuals (according to available data) are languishing in cells no bigger than a parking spot, being subjected to severe sensory and physical deprivation for 23 hours a day, seven days a week. Such confinement can last for days, weeks, years, and even decades. It doesn’t matter if it’s called “isolation”: SHU (special housing units), administrative segregation, supermax prisons, the hole, voluntary or involuntary protective custody—they’re all the same barbaric practice.

Paramount to creating a more humane justice system—and therefore a more equitable and just society, free of systemic barriers—is eliminating the widespread use of solitary confinement, a practice that creates rather than mitigates harm. As President and Director of Programs of the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, we work in pursuit of this vision. In the process, we have had the privilege of meeting people with direct experience with solitary confinement. Along with other leaders, these individuals are working tirelessly to dismantle the punishment paradigm to ensure that people return home as healthy, valued citizens and neighbors. Fundamental to this work is recognizing the humanity of everyone who comes into contact with the carceral system.