Solitary Nation
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Question 1: An estimated 80000 American citizens are placed under solitary confinement. This includes individuals who have not committed any form of crimes and may be subjected to solitary confinement for years or even decades. FRONTLINE makes use of phenomenal access to Maine State Prison, a segregation unit, to investigate the use of solitary confinement in America. This is a practice that the United States jails and prisons resort to more than the majority of other nations. Some of the officials in these prisons perceive it as necessary to maintain order and safety. However, critics state it is counterproductive and inhumane. Solitary Nation refers to an intimate and extraordinarily rare view of life in solitary.
The main characters include inmates such as Todd Fickett, Gordo Perry, Adam Brulotte, and Peter Gibbs. Todd Fickett assaulted a prison officer and punished through isolation. He also engaged in self-harm. Gordon Perry is a convicted murderer while Adam Brulotte is under segregation for starting a riot. Peter Gibbs strangled a correctional officer and knocked another officer. The inmates cannot meet their families, stay in locked rooms for 23 hours a day, and face harm from fellow inmates.
Question 2: The legal issues presented in the video include prolonged solitary confinement in prisons. Besides, the other issue of law contains the physical and mental harm associated with prolonged solitary confinement. Prisoners can challenge the procedure in the application of isolation. The mechanism of imposing isolation may be unfair, leading to a violation of due process.
Question 3: A solitary confinement is used to handle challenging situations. There are, however, alternatives for solitary confinement that can be applied. These include reentry programming that gives former offenders a chance to support themselves via productive and legitimate work and reduce recidivism. Besides, the inmates may be placed in integrated housing units prison, especially for the mentally ill.