Notes on "Last Days of Solitary"

The Maine Special Management Unit

A segregation unit for the state prison.
Houses prisoners doing segregation time for disciplinary reasons.
Prisoners are locked down 23 hours a day.
Common behaviors include anger, flooding cells, and violence.
Self-injury is frequent: head banging, door punching, cutting with razor blades.

Officer's Perspective

Inmates cover windows, especially those who are self-abusive.
Extraction is necessary for inmates' safety when they refuse to cooperate.
The environment creates "monsters," making reintegration into society difficult.
The tier is often filled with blood due to self-harm.
Solitary confinement can quickly break a person mentally, leading to violence and mental instability.

Todd Michael Fickett (Prisoner #93262)

Incarcerated for arson.
Solitary confinement feels like being buried alive.
Downhill mental state due to isolation.
Inmates pass notes, medications, and razor blades due to boredom.
Fickett is a serious cutter with a history of self-injurious behavior, often targeting major arteries.
Constant watch cells with cameras and full glass doors are used for inmates like Fickett.

Impact of Solitary Confinement

Inevitable that problems will arise when inmates are left with nothing to do.
Staff becomes desensitized to blood and self-harm.
The experience of being behind walls affects everyone differently; particularly impactful on young individuals.
Segregation is overused in the United States.
Punishment often exacerbates issues rather than improving behavior.

Rehabilitation Efforts

Moving inmates out of cells into general population is crucial.
The goal is to rehabilitate inmates, not worsen them, as 80% will eventually be released.

Adam Brulotte (Prisoner #102817)

In prison since November 28, 2012, for aggravated assault (breaking a kid's jaw in seven places).
Reacted violently, leading to segregation.
Finds segregation manageable due to ability to read, write, and exercise.
Expresses anxiety about release in five months, with concerns about job, car, and finances.

Prison Environment and Behavior

Issues with food portions and general frustration lead to acting out.
Inmates flood cells with urine, toilet paper, and food.
Without intervention, Brulotte is likely to deteriorate, starve himself, and become self-abusive.

Introduction of Programs

Programs aim to reduce dangerous behavior and reintegrate inmates into general population.
Gradual process: initially in cuffs and shackles, then cuffs only, then no cuffs with one other inmate.
Focus on addressing anxiety and anger.
Emphasis on taking responsibility for actions.
The goal is to help inmates become successful, productive citizens.

Samuel Caison (Sam)

Incarcerated for a class A aggravated assault.
Grew up around crime, with family in and out of prison.
History of substance abuse starting at a young age.
Spent nine months in segregation at age 16, describing it as torture, leading to self-harm.
Too much time inside his head is dangerous; seg breaks a person.
Cutting is a way to escape and feel in control.
Since coming to population, he tries to bury himself in programs, but fears paranoia and depression.

History of Solitary Confinement

The United States was the leader in introducing solitary confinement.
Initially introduced by the Quakers as a noble experiment in rehabilitation.
The belief: isolation would allow prisoners to become penitent, close to God, and heal from societal evils.
Experiment proved to be a catastrophe.
By the 1830s: statistical evidence of psychosis and suicide.
1890: condemned by the United States Supreme Court.
The experiment gradually diminished due to disastrous psychiatric consequences.

Resurgence of Solitary Confinement

Abandoned after the Quakers' experiment, but revived in the 1970s due to unprecedented prison populations.
Overcrowded conditions and increasing numbers of mentally ill prisoners.
Marion prison lockdown in 1983 after two officers were killed by the Aryan Brotherhood.
Permanent lockdown: every man confined to his cell.
High security and lockdown were deemed necessary for maintaining control and protecting staff and inmates.
Large-scale solitary confinement became the model, leading to more super-max prisons.

Perspectives on Segregation

Segregation can correct behavior to a point.
Lacking social medicine or a "magic wand" for correction.
Individualized programs in mental health units are introduced for inmates like Todd to reduce cutting behavior.
Reintegration into general population is the ultimate goal.

Psychological Aspects

Cutting is a learned behavior, a pathological way to feel control briefly.
Inmates are stuck in segregation and revert to a childlike state of resistance.
Brulotte needs to behave to earn release; programs are introduced to help him.
Solitary confinement is toxic to mental function, leading to neuropsychiatric illnesses.

Animal Studies and Effects of Isolation

Analogy to animal studies, such as Dr. Harry Harlow's monkey experiments.
Monkeys in solitary confinement showed distressed, ritualistic behavior and massive impairment when reintroduced to other animals.
Clinical findings: deprivation of stimulation leads to intolerance of stimulation.
Study from the Balkan conflict: prisoners released from confinement showed hyper-responsive reactions to visual stimuli.
Hyper-responsive reactions were predicted by head trauma and time in solitary confinement.

Personal Accounts of Release and Reintegration

Inmates lose feelings and become immune to everything.
Experience of going straight home after 11 months in seg: feeling overwhelmed by people.
Locking oneself in a camper to cope, then struggling with being out of control.
Ending up shooting someone and returning to prison.

Richard Stahursky (Prisoner #29297)

Convicted of robbery in a crime of violence and possession of a stolen firearm.
Grew up around violence and spent most of his sentence in seg.
Doesn't care about anything.
In 2003, stabbed an inmate 23 times and assaulted officers.
Weirded out being back in population; feeling like the first day at school.

Positive Interactions and Therapeutic Approaches

Contact with his daughter made him feel like a new guy.
Staff tries to engage inmates in meaningful ways.
Use of transitional objects and puzzles to maintain mental health in cells.
Clinical components attached to the puzzles to promote different ways of looking at problems.
Encouragement of healthy struggle.

Evaluating Effectiveness and Promoting Systemic Change

Looking for what works and why, rather than continuing ineffective practices.
Creating uplifting interactions with inmates.
Positive effects: drop in fights, use of weapons, emergency room transports, and constant watches.
Solitary confinement is not a panacea; it creates more problems than it solves and is very expensive.

Movement Towards Reform

Prison systems are slowly recognizing the drawbacks of solitary confinement.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has started a review.
Colorado, Maine, and Georgia are scaling back.
New York State has agreed to place restrictions on solitary confinement.
President acknowledges the devastating psychological consequences.
Depopulating segregation units has led to a reduction in violence.
Mississippi saved $6 million a year by closing Unit 32.

Shifting Focus to Root Causes

The existence of solitary confinement has allowed correctional systems to avoid addressing root causes of problems.
Need to de-escalate problems, understand conflicts, and address them in the present.
Long-term inmate in isolation expresses frustration with lack of progress.
Being good for a year has not yielded results.

Addressing Individual Needs and Concerns

Addressing concerns about safety when moving inmates out of segregation.
Assuring inmates like Gordon Perry that they are moving through the system.
Offering a second chance and opportunities to change.
Providing reasons for hope and progress.
Recognizing that change can occur through various means, from short discussions to extensive therapy.

Ongoing Challenges and Setbacks

Structured living unit breeds better criminals.
Severe assault occurs in the unit, highlighting management challenges.
Inmate discovered to be leading a gang and influencing younger prisoners.
Staff member expresses doubt about an inmate's potential for change but emphasizes continued effort.
Release and Re-entry Challenges
Inmate being released expresses anxiety about re-entering the free world after a long time in segregation.
Acknowledges the impact of solitary time and the need to take it one day at a time.
Experience of struggling with crowds and anxiety after release.

Long-Term Impact and the Struggle for Reintegration

Difficulty adjusting to life outside prison after prolonged isolation.
Feelings of paranoia and the need for solitude to cope.
Positive aspects: job, supportive girlfriend, and community acceptance.
Flashbacks and lingering effects of solitary confinement.
The struggle to maintain progress and avoid re-incarceration due to minor infractions.
Instant anxiety and fight-or-flight response as the lasting scars of Seg.

Perspectives on Dangerous Inmates and Psychopathy

The existence of individuals too dangerous to be safely integrated into the general population.
The challenge in treating true psychopaths, who lack empathy.

Case Review and Future Plans

Six-month review of a high-risk inmate's progress.
Emphasis on taking responsibility for actions and committing to programming.
Potential for out-of-state placement as a step forward.

Concluding Thoughts

The need to protect the community from dangerous individuals.
Recognizing the ongoing challenges of rehabilitation and the limitations of treatment for certain offenders.
The best things for some is treatment and help, because they overanalyze everything and think they're out to get me, and then they start cutting up.