摘要：The history of solitary confinement in the United States stretches from the silent prisons of 200 years ago to today’s supermax prisons, mechanized panopticons that isolate tens of thousands, sometimes for decades. We examined the living conditions and characteristics of the populations in solitary confinement. As part of the growing movement for reform, public health agencies have an ethical obligation to help address the excessive use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons in accordance with established public health functions (e.g., violence prevention, health equity, surveillance, and minimizing of occupational and psychological hazards for correctional staff). Public health professionals should lead efforts to replace reliance on this overly punitive correctional policy with models based on rehabilitation and restorative justice. With 2.3 million people in its jails and prisons, the United States incarcerates more people than any other nation. At 716 per 100 000 people, the US per capita incarceration rate is more than 7 times the average in European Union countries. With only 5% of the world’s population, the United States now accounts for one quarter of its prisoners. 1 The United States not only incarcerates the most people, but also exposes more of its citizenry to solitary confinement than any other nation. The best available data suggest that about 84 000 individuals endure extreme conditions of isolation, sensory deprivation, and idleness in US correctional facilities. 2 Federal data indicate that from 1995 to 2005, the number of people held in solitary confinement increased by 40%, from 57 591 to 81 622 people. 3 Even in jurisdictions where the prison population has declined in recent years, the number of people in solitary has grown. For instance, from 2008 through 2013, the number of people in solitary confinement in federal prisons grew by 17%—from 10 659 to 12 460 prisoners––almost triple the 6% rise in the total prison population for that same period. 4
