Solitary confinement causes
LASTING EFFECTS.
EFFECTS ON
THE BRAIN
- Solitary confinement can lead people to experience hallucinations and psychosis. Social and sensory deprivation can cause memory loss and depression and impair cognition.
- Studies show that solitary confinement shrinks the part of the brain that helps store memories.
- Thirty-three percent of people in solitary confinement for at least 15 days become psychotic and/or suicidal.
- Solitary increases the likelihood of self-harm.
- Common symptoms of solitary confinement include panic attacks, paranoia, and sensitivity to sound.
LONG TERM
DAMAGE
- People who spend any time in solitary confinement have an increased risk of dying from opioid overdose, cardiovascular disease, homicide, or suicide.
- People with more than one stay in solitary confinement are 129 percent more likely to commit suicide than those who have never spent time in solitary.
- People can lose their sense of self, become unable to connect to reality or have difficulty controlling their behavior.
- People held in solitary confinement, for any amount of time, are more likely to return to prison shortly after their release than those who were never held in solitary.
