Letter to the Government

Dear Government,

Putting youth in solitary confinement isn't something that ought to be used at an extreme. Twenty-two to twenty-four hours in confinement is far too long to be healthy, especially at such a crucial stage of development. People think that being set alone is giving that person time to sit and think about what they did and set themselves straight but it doesn't work like that. In confinement I think most people would only think of their own terror, the injustice of being forced to be alone. It's something that's just not right, no matter what someone did. It can scramble someone mentally--people can come out with a whole lot of different emotions, things like ire over the experience, or be so shaken up that they are no longer who they were before. Solitary confinement can also produce things like phobias into people's lives. To me, I see it like an advertised pill: it's possible it can treat your problems, but the possible effects on your health aren't worth the risk. Solitary confinement isn't something that can be given like a jail sentence. I feel as if it could be useful, if given a couple hours a day, or something in that light. But not twenty four seven, not every day of the week for months. Years. Setting people in and thinking it to be a good way to reform behaviours ought be a crime. It's mentally and emotionally degrading someone with something that's supposed to be beneficial for them and for society, and that oughtn't be the way to repress any kind of behaviour.

--A Concerned Individual