Hal was in solitary
confinement because he was on death row.
After his sentence was commuted to life in prison he joined others
behind bars. But Hal had become a
withdrawn, silent person and he found interaction with other prisoners to be
awkward.
I met this man through the
ecumenical Kairos Prison Ministry. I’ve been blessed to volunteer in
prisons in five states and to hear hundreds of stories. I’ve changed Hal’s name to protect his
privacy but he said I could recount his story without identifying him. Hal suffers mental problems thanks to
being segregated from other human beings for so long.
NRCAT, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, has rightly denounced solitary confinement as a form of torture.
A number of psychological studies have
shown that such prolonged confinement can cause panic attacks, paranoia and
hallucinations. Fortunately, my
friend Hal was spared the worst of these ailments, but he bears the scars of
his confinement in his subdued personality.
In the United States there
are an estimated 80 thousand prisoners in solitary confinement on an average
day. There are 45 super-max
prisons where all the inmates are in solitary cells. Many were mentally ill before their behavioral problems
caused prison authorities to lock them up for acting up.
Long-term solitary
confinement not only damages prisoners’ minds, it denies them the chance to be
in community with others. It makes
religious communion difficult if not impossible. Jesus preached the need for his followers to be in
communion. Solitary confinement
bars that.
Once Hal was released from
solitary confinement, he was able to join in chapel activities, become active
in the Kairos community, and start to heal.
As people of faith, we need
to urge our elected officials and correctional authorities to stop the inhumane
treatment of those locked into a solitary existence.
Ford Rowan
Director, Human Rights Ministries
A Shared Ministry of Disciples Home Missions and the Disciples Center for Public Witness
fordrowan@comcast.net
Ford Rowan
Director, Human Rights Ministries
A Shared Ministry of Disciples Home Missions and the Disciples Center for Public Witness
fordrowan@comcast.net
