For example, there is approximately 106% occupancy in Oklahoma prisons today. Although many people don’t think too much of the increasing population in prisons, overcrowding hinders the work of social rehabilitation and increases the prevalence of diseases: infectious and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. These problems also develop while a prisoner spends time in isolation. Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which prison staff place an inmate in an isolated cell cut off from other inmates. Isolation can take a heavy mental and social toll. If an inmate spends too long by themselves, they can suffer hallucinations and become a danger to themselves. In a report by the Human Rights Watch, ⅕ to ⅔ of inmates in solitary confinement have some form of mental illness and their conditions dramatically deteriorate throughout their time in isolation. After years of living in the cramped conditions of an isolation cell with no hope of getting out, it’s easy to see why a many would prefer death. Prison conditions as described exist throughout many institutions in Oklahoma, and occur across the United States. The hidden conditions that exist in isolation and overcrowding violate the eighth amendment because it exposes prisoners to unreasonable risk of serious
For example, there is approximately 106% occupancy in Oklahoma prisons today. Although many people don’t think too much of the increasing population in prisons, overcrowding hinders the work of social rehabilitation and increases the prevalence of diseases: infectious and psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. These problems also develop while a prisoner spends time in isolation. Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which prison staff place an inmate in an isolated cell cut off from other inmates. Isolation can take a heavy mental and social toll. If an inmate spends too long by themselves, they can suffer hallucinations and become a danger to themselves. In a report by the Human Rights Watch, ⅕ to ⅔ of inmates in solitary confinement have some form of mental illness and their conditions dramatically deteriorate throughout their time in isolation. After years of living in the cramped conditions of an isolation cell with no hope of getting out, it’s easy to see why a many would prefer death. Prison conditions as described exist throughout many institutions in Oklahoma, and occur across the United States. The hidden conditions that exist in isolation and overcrowding violate the eighth amendment because it exposes prisoners to unreasonable risk of serious