solitary confinement

Former inmates, civilian staff and corrections officers returned to Eastern State this summer to talk about life in the prison. "This place here really did something to me psychologically," recalled former inmate Anthony Goodman (center).

National

How Solitary Confinement Became Hardwired In U.S. Prisons

5:00pm August 24, 2015

by Brian Mann

Early experiments in isolating inmates took place at a Philadelphia prison in the 1800s. Though discredited as cruel, the practice was later revived nationwide during the drug war.

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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tours and meets with youth Dec. 17 at Second Chance Housing on Rikers Island in New York City. Second Chance Housing is an alternative for incarcerated adolescents, instead of punitive segregation, also known as solitary conf

National

To End Solitary Confinement, Rikers Steps Out Of The Box

1:09pm February 09, 2015

by NPR Staff

With a single move, Rikers Island prison has taken the lead on prison reform on one issue: It banned the use of solitary confinement for inmates under 21 years old.

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Last 'Angola 3' Inmate's Conviction Should Be Thrown Out, Court Says

6:33pm November 21, 2014

by Laura Sullivan

Albert Woodfox has spent about 40 years in solitary for the 1972 murder of a prison guard. A federal appeals court's unanimous decision could set him free, if the state decides not to challenge it.