Is Long Term Solitary Confinement Torture?

[RESiNATE]

I think that if solitary confinement is imposed, then it is a form of torture - or at least subjugation.
If, however, it is self-imposed, then it could be deemed as meditation - couldn't it?

I pretty much imposed a life of [semi] solitary confinement; that is, I choose to distance myself from anyone else as much as I possibly could. I needed that time to analyse myself and discover who and what I truly was. But, I think it takes a strong mind to deal with long term solitude - even I relished the odd visits I'd get from friends...mostly.

Res...

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

I am reminded of Charlie Bronson who has so far spent 36 years in prison - 32 of which have been in solitary.
- I don't feel especially moved by Manning's plight.

[M]

Solitary confinement can conjour up images of Papillon style dary, damp cells. Access to media, exercise, etc make solitary confinement very different. Nonetheless, it depends on the character of the person as to whether or not they would regard it as tortuous.

[Pappa]

I am reminded of Charlie Bronson who has so far spent 36 years in prison - 32 of which have been in solitary.
- I don't feel especially moved by Manning's plight.

Have you seen the film Bronson? It definitely paints a picture that implies Charlie Bronson's behaviour was partly caused by the solitary confinement.

[Atheist-Lite]

Solitary confinement means your not sharing a cell with the guy who'll give you a sore arse each night. Must be a improvement over a shared cell.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

I am reminded of Charlie Bronson who has so far spent 36 years in prison - 32 of which have been in solitary.
- I don't feel especially moved by Manning's plight.

Have you seen the film Bronson? It definitely paints a picture that implies Charlie Bronson's behaviour was partly caused by the solitary confinement.

Yes, I saw it a while back.

There's little doubt in my mind that he has been more or less goaded into solitary. - At least one ex-prison officer has stated that Bronson was taunted more or less constantly by other officers while he worked there and that it was done for fun and the 'prestige' of suppressing "Britains most violent prisoner".
The authorities took a very dim view of the film and he's been moved twice since the it was released. He has been banned from sending artwork to his friends and anyone with anything to do with the film (or, indeed, any media) has been banned from visiting or even talking to him on the phone - security vetting to visit him now takes months rather than weeks, apparently.

[Pappa]

I am reminded of Charlie Bronson who has so far spent 36 years in prison - 32 of which have been in solitary.
- I don't feel especially moved by Manning's plight.

Have you seen the film Bronson? It definitely paints a picture that implies Charlie Bronson's behaviour was partly caused by the solitary confinement.

Yes, I saw it a while back.

There's little doubt in my mind that he has been more or less goaded into solitary. - At least one ex-prison officer has stated that Bronson was taunted more or less constantly by other officers while he worked there and that it was done for fun and the 'prestige' of suppressing "Britains most violent prisoner".
The authorities took a very dim view of the film and he's been moved twice since the it was released. He has been banned from sending artwork to his friends and anyone with anything to do with the film (or, indeed, any media) has been banned from visiting or even talking to him on the phone - security vetting to visit him now takes months rather than weeks, apparently.

The point is well made too, that he has been in prison almost all his adult life, much of it in solitary confinement (some of it in a steel cage small enough that he can't even sit down - if the film is to be believed)..... and yet he's never killed or raped anyone, ever.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

^He's been away from society that long all he has to measure himself by is his prison environment. In that respect, he is a product of the system.

I felt that the film took some liberties with the actual story and left an awful lot of details out. Some of his hostage taking incidents are fucking hilarious and, I would suggest, purely a way of protest or relieving boredom rather than serious attempts at escape. Some examples from Wikipedia:-

* In 1994, while holding a civilian librarian hostage at Woodhill Prison, Milton Keynes, he demanded an inflatable doll, a helicopter and a cup of tea as ransom. Two months later, he held deputy governor Adrian Wallace hostage for five hours at Hull prison, injuring him so badly he was off work for five weeks.

* In 1998, Bronson took two Iraqi hijackers( ) and another inmate hostage at Belmarsh prison in London. He insisted his hostages address him as "General" and told negotiators he would eat one of his victims quickly unless his demands were met. At one stage, Bronson demanded one of the Iraqis hit him "very hard" over the head with a metal tray. When the hostage refused, Bronson slashed his own shoulder six times with a razor blade. He later told staff: "I'm going to start snapping necks – I'm the number-one hostage taker." He demanded a plane to take him to Cuba, two Uzi sub-machine guns, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and an axe. In court, he said he was "as guilty as Adolf Hitler", adding, "I was on a mission of madness, but now I'm on a mission of peace and all I want to do now is go home and have a pint with my son." Another seven years were added to his sentence.

*In 1999, he took Phil Danielson, a civilian education officer, hostage at Hull prison. He can be seen in CCTV footage singing the song "Yellow Submarine", walking around with a makeshift spear[citation needed] (after having caused havoc inside the prison) and causing the wing to be locked up for over 40 hours.

(I've read other accounts that they were seen singing and dancing together.)

I suppose the above incidents make him look like a dangerous lunatic but when you compare his activities to those of other prisoners he has been locked up with in the past - such as the guy in the next cell to him who killed another prisoner and ate his brains - he seems almost harmless by comparison. He may well deserve/d the title of "Britain's most violent prisoner" but I seriously doubt he is the most dangerous.

[zmonsterz]

If I was put in solitary confinement I reckon I would go mad straight away. I would just go screwloose like screaming and shit for no reason, the guards would probably think I'm posessed or something.

[Arse]

Everybody on Death Row in the US is kept in similar conditions, sometimes for decades. And some of those people are innocent of any crime, so I can't summon up much sympathy for this dude I'm afraid.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Solitary confinement means your not sharing a cell with the guy who'll give you a sore arse each night. Must be a improvement over a shared cell.

I find it interesting that some people assume they'll be "catching" instead of "pitching" in that situation.

[FBM]

Solitary confinement means your not sharing a cell with the guy who'll give you a sore arse each night. Must be a improvement over a shared cell.

I find it interesting that some people assume they'll be "catching" instead of "pitching" in that situation.

I don't see a helluva lot of win in either case. I'd be happy with being a bench-warmer there.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Solitary confinement means your not sharing a cell with the guy who'll give you a sore arse each night. Must be a improvement over a shared cell.

I find it interesting that some people assume they'll be "catching" instead of "pitching" in that situation.

I don't see a helluva lot of win in either case. I'd be happy with being a bench-warmer there.

Keep your butt safely planted on a bench? You still have vulnerabilities.

[FBM]

Solitary confinement means your not sharing a cell with the guy who'll give you a sore arse each night. Must be a improvement over a shared cell.

I find it interesting that some people assume they'll be "catching" instead of "pitching" in that situation.

I don't see a helluva lot of win in either case. I'd be happy with being a bench-warmer there.

Keep your butt safely planted on a bench? You still have vulnerabilities.

Nah. Chipped tooth.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...on toast.