Segregation in Prison, Psychological Consequences of

Each year in the United States, approximately 80,000 justice involved individuals are placed in segregation (i.e., housed separately from the general prison population). Although the practice occurs frequently, ongoing debate exists as to whether it is humane, whether it exacerbates mental health problems in justice involved individuals, and whether it is an effective punishment to modify problematic institutional behavior. Research oscillates between concluding whether segregation is an inhumane practice associated with a wide range of negative psychological and physiological effects and whether it is a humane practice that does not result in long-term negative psychological and physiological consequences for justice involved individuals. However, recent research concludes that segregation does not produce lasting emotional damage, but it also does not modify or decrease problematic behavior. It ...