Voters Oppose Extreme Isolation in U.S. Prisons
By Abby Steckel
Solitary confinement typically involves being locked in a parking-space-size cell for 22 to 24 hours a day. Under United Nations standards, prolonged solitary confinement is a form of torture. Nevertheless, the U.S. uses this abusive practice on tens of thousands of Americans every day.
As part of a late July survey, Data for Progress polled a national sample of 1,184 likely voters on their views of solitary confinement. We found that most Americans are unaware of the prevalence of solitary confinement. Less than half of likely voters (44 percent) are familiar with this practice, which is inflicted in all of our names under the disingenuous banner of public safety.
Researchers have found that people held in solitary confinement are more likely than the general prison population to die prematurely. People are also more likely to engage in potentially fatal self-harm when placed in solitary. Solitary can induce or exacerbate mental illness, and is associated with panic attacks, depression, paranoia, and hallucinations. Different studies estimate that between 30 and 80 percent of people in solitary confinement are living with a mental illness.
Solitary confinement is part of the racial violence of the American justice system. Correctional officers send Black people to solitary confinement at much higher rates than white people. In states like California and Texas with large Latinx populations, Latinx people are also significantly overrepresented in solitary.
Initially, we provided likely voters with a brief definition of solitary confinement and asked whether they would support or oppose its continued use. Even without information about solitary’s effects, a large group of voters, including nearly a third of Republicans, expressed opposition to the practice. Forty-five percent of Democrats and 44 percent of Independents oppose the continued use of solitary confinement, while 46 and 44 percent support it, respectively. These levels of support and opposition are not statistically significantly different.
Although likely voters appear divided over whether solitary confinement should ever be used, they unambiguously support proposals to prohibit solitary in most situations. We asked respondents whether they support or oppose a series of reforms from New York’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, which became law in March 2021, and Connecticut’s PROTECT Act, a bill to end solitary confinement in the state.
A 59-point margin of likely voters think that people should be allowed to visit weekly with their friends and family. Likely voters also believe that solitary should never be used on pregnant women (51-point margin) or on people who live with a disability or mental illness (49-point margin). Furthermore, likely voters agree by a 48-point margin that no one should be placed in solitary for more than 15 consecutive days. Also by a 48-point margin, likely voters concur that people should not be physically restrained inside of their cells, which is a disturbingly common practice in some facilities. Respondents initially appeared split over whether to support banning solitary confinement altogether. But when presented with a specific proposal to end extreme isolation, a clear majority expressed support. By a 39-point margin, likely voters want to prohibit the practice of isolating people for more than 16 hours a day — which effectively means ending solitary confinement.
Alternatives to solitary confinement are very popular. We find that 80 percent of likely voters support a policy of providing mental health treatment instead of placing people in solitary. Furthermore, strong majorities of likely voters think correctional facilities should implement conflict de-escalation strategies and positive incentives for good behavior, instead of trying to control people through isolation.
Although important progress has been made in recent years, some legislators continue citing the misguided idea that solitary confinement is a necessary tool for correctional officers. In reality, solitary confinement is inhumane and ineffective, and our poll shows that likely voters recognize this fact. Legislators should align themselves with their constituents and work to replace harsh punitive policies with mental health treatment and opportunities for rehabilitation.
Abby Steckel is a polling intern at Data for Progress.
Methodology
From July 28 to 30, 2021, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,184 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.