I have been thinking about this one for a while, Short Term Solitary Confinement as a viable and real option for certain crimes.Criminals who commit violent crimes or thefts which generally receive one, two or three months jail time should be put in solitary confinement instead.
People who commit crimes such as these are often in a position where the only people whose opinion they value, are other criminals.
So if a criminal has peers in the criminal fraternity, then why should they be put in a prison where they can mingle and perhaps gain more peers?
Many criminals value their image, how "tough" they are for example and an image like this has only got value if that person's peers can see it.
Why not lock a criminal away in such a way that they have no social interaction instead? I have known people who have gone to jail for car theft, burglaries etc and they end up spending 2 months in a jail, being clothed, fed, socialising, playing pool and PlayStation's.
Instead I say, don't put them in jail for 3 months. Instead put them in a purpose built solitary confinement complex for 1 week. That's right, One Week!
Psychologically, one week in a cell with no human interaction, no music, no day light, nothing at all to distract the mind and no concept of time will feel like 3 months anyway.
I am positive when I say that anyone who experiences this would Never, repeat "never!" want to go through it again. Whereas many criminals don't really mind too much if they get thrown in a normal jail because all of their mates are probably there anyway!
It would save a tonne of tax payers money and be a much better short, sharp, shock.
think about it. Am I onto something here? or have I got it all wrong?
Muzzerino
2 comments:
You're completely right when you say that a week in solitary could be a better deterrent to crime than a few months in normal prison. You're completely wrong, though, in thinking that that makes it a good idea.
Solitary confinement can be deeply emotionally and psychologically scarring. A few weeks in solitary can cause measurable, physical brain damage comparable to severe head trauma, and often causes periods of depression and social anxiety and discomfort, which can last for weeks, months, or years.
Solitary confinement shouldn't be used as a punishment (at least not widely) for the same reason we don't use thumbscrews or the rack: it's torture, and it's cruel and unusual punishment. It dehumanizes the prisoners, as well as their jailers.
That is a good point you make, however I am no expert, but surely 1 week in a solitary cell would not cause any damage.
Perhaps for every normal sentence of say 30 days in jail, could instead be 6 days in solitary?
maybe even less.
I would not use the solitary confinement solution for anything longer than say 10 - 12 days in my opinion.
Cheers for stopping by.
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