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Prisoners in the USA are, in fact, put into solitary for some pretty arbitrary reasons, including the types of books they read. You might find this article by

by moxie 13y ago

Prisoners in the USA are, in fact, put into solitary for some pretty arbitrary reasons, including the types of books they read. You might find this article by Shane Bauer, one of the hostages held by Iran, interesting: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/solitary-confinement-shane-bauer http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/solitary-confine...

brownbat 13y ago
> Prisoners in the USA are, in fact, put into solitary for some pretty arbitrary reasons, Sometimes overused isn't sufficient. So long as solitary is ever used to prevent violence, it seems like a necessary tool. I'm all for more oversight. Faster appeals for enhanced punishment and vastly greater funding for public defenders would be a great start. Greater phone privileges, standards for minimum cell conditions, all of these. Some prisoners can't be put in rooms with other people without constant supervision though. Some will smash anything breakable, others will begin any meetings with female defense attorneys by attempting to masturbate against their leg. Defecating around others is fairly popular. Most of these inmates need treatment, sure, but many refuse. (Courts have ruled that you can't forcibly medicate unless it's a medical necessity.) Insisting every prisoner mingle with the general population is not the solution here. It would not only be unworkable, it would endanger the lives of both the mentally ill and other inmates.
zmitri 13y ago
I remember seeing that video and balking - even reading Machiavelli's the Prince can get you thrown in solitary under the pretense you are gang affiliated. If you're interested in the prison industrial complex, the very same Shane Bauer is using my site, Beacon, to crowdfund an entire year of in depth, independent, and ad-free reporting on the prison system in America. http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-prison-problem http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-prison-problem You'll directly impact his ability to produce original long form pieces.
SyneRyder 13y ago
And there was recently a story of a "good samaritan" in San Francisco who helped an injured person on the street and called 911, and ended up in solitary by the end of the night: https://medium.com/p/9f53ef6a1c10/ https://medium.com/p/9f53ef6a1c10/
krlee 13y ago
If you want to criticize Pennington's placement in Security Housing, fine. But don't pretend that he's just an innocent leftist being persecuted by the Man. He's a gang member. And his gang's black Marxist politics don't make it any less violent. http://motherjones.com/documents/458735-pennington-return-to-order-to-show-cause http://motherjones.com/documents/458735-pennington-return-to... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Guerilla_Family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Guerilla_Family

by moxie 13y ago

brownbat 13y ago

> Prisoners in the USA are, in fact, put into solitary for some pretty arbitrary reasons, Sometimes overused isn't sufficient. So long as solitary is ever used to prevent violence, it seems like a necessary tool. I'm all for more oversight. Faster appeals for enhanced punishment and vastly greater funding for public defenders would be a great start. Greater phone privileges, standards for minimum cell conditions, all of these. Some prisoners can't be put in rooms with other people without constant supervision though. Some will smash anything breakable, others will begin any meetings with female defense attorneys by attempting to masturbate against their leg. Defecating around others is fairly popular. Most of these inmates need treatment, sure, but many refuse. (Courts have ruled that you can't forcibly medicate unless it's a medical necessity.) Insisting every prisoner mingle with the general population is not the solution here. It would not only be unworkable, it would endanger the lives of both the mentally ill and other inmates.

zmitri 13y ago

I remember seeing that video and balking - even reading Machiavelli's the Prince can get you thrown in solitary under the pretense you are gang affiliated. If you're interested in the prison industrial complex, the very same Shane Bauer is using my site, Beacon, to crowdfund an entire year of in depth, independent, and ad-free reporting on the prison system in America. http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-prison-problem http://www.beaconreader.com/projects/the-prison-problem You'll directly impact his ability to produce original long form pieces.

SyneRyder 13y ago

And there was recently a story of a "good samaritan" in San Francisco who helped an injured person on the street and called 911, and ended up in solitary by the end of the night: https://medium.com/p/9f53ef6a1c10/ https://medium.com/p/9f53ef6a1c10/

krlee 13y ago

If you want to criticize Pennington's placement in Security Housing, fine. But don't pretend that he's just an innocent leftist being persecuted by the Man. He's a gang member. And his gang's black Marxist politics don't make it any less violent. http://motherjones.com/documents/458735-pennington-return-to-order-to-show-cause http://motherjones.com/documents/458735-pennington-return-to... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Guerilla_Family http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Guerilla_Family