Whether it's either cruel or unusual is a subjective question. What I asked was whether it's ok for a prisoner's quality of life to be determined by the whims

Whether it's either cruel or unusual is a subjective question. What I asked was whether it's ok for a prisoner's quality of life to be determined by the whims of the prison. I'm of the opinion that whatever the right quality of life is, it should be consistent across the board. If I commit a federal crime, the punishment shouldn't vary based on which prison I get sent to. In other words, if you think it's perfectly reasonable for, say, a murderer to be placed in extended isolation (as an example), then that should be applied evenly to all murderers. Surely we agree on that much? Or do you believe being a criminal means you should be subject to arbitrary punishments at the whims of your captors?