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    Should Punishment in Prison Be Governed?

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    Wilbert Rideau discusses the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement in prisons in his article "When Prisoners Protest". He explains that solitary confinement can have negative mental health effects when used for extended periods, like feelings of paranoia and disconnection from the world. Rideau advocates that solitary confinement be more strictly monitored and regulated to prevent inhumane treatment of prisoners. He suggests allowing open communication between prison officials and inmates as an effective alternative that improves prison safety and conditions.

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    Should Punishment in Prison Be Governed?

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    Wilbert Rideau discusses the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement in prisons in his article "When Prisoners Protest". He explains that solitary confinement can have negative mental health effects when used for extended periods, like feelings of paranoia and disconnection from the world. Rideau advocates that solitary confinement be more strictly monitored and regulated to prevent inhumane treatment of prisoners. He suggests allowing open communication between prison officials and inmates as an effective alternative that improves prison safety and conditions.

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    Wilbert Rideau discusses the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement in prisons in his article "When Prisoners Protest". He explains that solitary confinement can have negative mental health effects when used for extended periods, like feelings of paranoia and disconnection from the world. Rideau advocates that solitary confinement be more strictly monitored and regulated to prevent inhumane treatment of prisoners. He suggests allowing open communication between prison officials and inmates as an effective alternative that improves prison safety and conditions.

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    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Should Punishment in Prison Be Governed?

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    Wilbert Rideau discusses the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement in prisons in his article "When Prisoners Protest". He explains that solitary confinement can have negative mental health effects when used for extended periods, like feelings of paranoia and disconnection from the world. Rideau advocates that solitary confinement be more strictly monitored and regulated to prevent inhumane treatment of prisoners. He suggests allowing open communication between prison officials and inmates as an effective alternative that improves prison safety and conditions.

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    of 3

    Gina Martin

    Professor Nkenna Onwuzuruhoa


    English 1010
    08/03/2016

    Should punishment in prison be governed?


    When Prisoners Protest, by Wilbert Rideau talks about the abuse of solitary confinement by
    prison authorities and the fact it needs to be managed more appropriately. Wilbert Rideaus
    article can be found on the Opinions Page of the New York Times, dated July 17, 2013. He
    discusses his time spent in solitary confinement, the effects it had on him, and ways to manage it.
    He follows this up with examples and statists. Rideau is not suggesting that this form of
    punishment be abolished; he suggests that its handled humanely.
    In this article, Wilbert Rideau explains the overuse and abuse of solitary confinement and the
    negative effects it has on a prisoner. He is advocating stricter monitoring of this form of
    discipline. He gave an example of three prisoners who have all been in solitary confinement for
    several years; Thomas Silverstein, Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace. Thomas Silverstein, in
    the federal prison system, has been in solitary confinement for 30 years and Albert Woodfox and
    Herman Wallace has been in solitary confinement for roughly 40 years in Louisiana.
    Rideau knows firsthand the impact this has on an individuals mental health. He had spent twelve
    years in solitary confinement himself and describes this feeling as a disconnection between
    himself and the world. He speaks out about what mentally happens to an individual as they are

    subjected to this form of punishment for an extended period of time. A person might feel
    paranoid, depressed and unable to sleep. A person might not be able to make small talk, even
    with officials and the person bringing them food. In his experience, he mentions counting each
    rivet that held the steel cell together and had to recount them every time the walls seemed like
    they were closing in on him, the amount of rivets was 358.
    Some might say the prisoners deserve this type of inhumane treatment because they had
    committed the crime, they must do the time however, this has potentially harmful outcomes on
    society and communities on the outside. Some maximum guard prisons, particularly Californias
    Pelican Bay, releases inmates directly from their cells to live in society. Some of these inmates
    that have possibly spent years in solitary confinement with the damaging effects it has on their
    mental health could be working right with you or your family. Also, if they lose the ability for
    small talk, they would have a hard time finding employment and might turn to illegal activity to
    survive. This will increase more crowding in jails and prisons that society has to pay for and fear
    more crime being brought to their neighborhoods.
    Wilbert Rideau suggests a salutation to the abuse and overuse of this form of punishment. Prison
    officials can meet and talk to the inmates without the inmates being afraid of negative
    consequences. There is proof that this tactic has worked before. The Louisiana State Penitentiary,
    he notes, has gone from being one of the bloodiest penitentiaries to one of the safest maximum
    security prison in America, due to the communication by the prison authorities and the prisoners.
    The Warden himself and the sub-wardens meet regularly with the inmates to talk about problems
    and issues. The author believes this is not a popular thing to do among most prisons because in
    asking the prisoners their opinion, officials see it as a surrender of authority.

    The author of this article uses the pathos appeal when describing the detachment felt from the
    individual and the world. With the explanations that he provides, he humanizes the prisoners and
    makes you think of them as people, not only inmates by demonstrating the characteristics that all
    people would feel, given the same circumstances, regardless of the crime committed, which he
    doesnt mention the reasons they were placed in prison. He also uses the ethos appeal because of
    his credibility since he has personally been involved with solitary confinement and could write
    about his own experience with it. He uses language that is concise and honest without being
    intense or vehement. He gave real-life examples of long term prisoners in solitary confinement
    and the effectiveness of open communication between officials and inmates. There is also a logos
    appeal as he explains the examples throughout his article. He tells of the situations he opposes
    and the simple remedies that have proven successful outcomes.
    This is a very informative article and makes the reader aware of an issue that might have been
    overlooked previously. Some people that would find this article interesting are the people that
    have known people who have been in prison before, or even their families. Possibly people that
    work in prison or family or friends of prison workers. Even more so, the public might find this
    article interesting because someone reading this might be working with, or living next to,
    someone who had just got out of years of solitary confinement. This article gives light to this
    ongoing issue and ways that it can be fixed.

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