Issue Analysis: Solitary Confinement

Student Illustrator: Antonio Santiago-Perez

Student Author: Justin Singer

On May 15, 2010, seventeen-year-old Kalief Browder was arrested on suspicion of theft of a backpack in the Bronx, New York. Unable to make bail, Browder was held at the Rikers Island correctional facility for the next three years while he awaited trial. Despite having never been convicted of a crime, Browder was held in solitary confinement for the majority of this period. While incarcerated, Browder was repeatedly subject to abuse by his fellow inmates and prison officials alike. Following his release, Browder went public with his story, earned his GED and enrolled in community college. Though he appeared to be recovering, the psychological trauma he suffered in solitary confinement proved unbearable. On June 6, 2015, two years after his release, twenty-two-year-old Kalief Browder hung himself at his parents’ home in the Bronx.  Browder’s case demonstrates that solitary confinement is an inherently cruel and usual punishment and should therefore be prohibited pursuant to the Eight Amendment, not only when applied to minors, but in all cases.  The outrage sparked by the Browder case and recent recognition in the courts indicate that an evolution of social norms has occurred—reflecting widespread understanding of social interaction as a basic human need. Therefore, according to the Supreme Courts own commitment to consider “evolving standards of decency” when interpreting the Eighth Amendment, solitary confinement not only should, but also can be ruled unconstitutional in all cases.  

This is part of the Annual Poster Session, a collaboration between the Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Department and the Media Arts and Technologies Department, featuring work by social science and illustration students.