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Women in Solitary Confinement: “The Isolation Degenerates Us into Madness“
Women in Solitary Confinement: “The Isolation Degenerates Us into Madness“
by Victoria Law
A mass prisoner hunger strike rocked California’s prison system last year, drawing international attention to the extensive use of solitary confinement in the United States. Increasingly, solitary is finding its way into the mainstream …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Investigation Uncovers Lost Graves at Former Florida Juvenile Facility, by David Reutter
- New York District Attorney Admits Lying About Acting in Porn Movies
- Nebraska DOC Obstructing Efforts to Modify Prisoners’ Child Support Payments
- Probe Reveals Corruption at Pennsylvania Jail
- California Prison Healthcare Costs Soar Under Federal Receiver
- Fifth Circuit Declares SORNA Unconstitutional in Certain Cases, Reversed by Supreme Court, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania Activists Arrested for Protesting Construction of New Prison Complex
- “Ban the Box” Movement Spreads Nationwide, by Joe Watson
- ICE Implements New Directive to Limit Solitary Confinement
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Illinois Booking Fee Challenge, by Mark Wilson
- Colorado: Sentencing Court May Override Sexually Violent Predator Risk Assessment Score, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Revives Ad Seg 24-Hour Lighting Claim, by Mark Wilson
- Seventh Circuit Extends Appeal Filing Deadline for Prisoner Misled by Court Clerk, by Matthew Clarke
- Second Circuit: Spraying with Feces Not De Minimis Injury; $7,000 Settlement After Remand, by Mark Wilson
- Fifth Circuit Holds Louisiana Commutation Changes Not Ex Post Facto, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Exhaustion Prior to Amended Complaint Satisfies PLRA, by Mark Wilson
- Former Wyoming Probation Officer Receives, Violates Probation, by Derek Gilna
- California Exhaustion Requirement Extends to Independent Contractors, by Mark Wilson
- Jail Video Visitation Proposal Considered in Dallas County, Texas
- Colorado Law Grants Immunity to Law Enforcement Officers Transporting Juveniles, by David Reutter
- Tenth Circuit Holds “Consensual” Sex Defeats Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Claim, by Mark Wilson
- $8.15 Million Jury Award for Prisoner’s Death at New York Jail, by David Reutter
- California: Federal Judge Certifies Class-Action Over SHU Placement, Conditions, by Derek Gilna
- Alaska Filing Fee Statute Denies Prisoners Court Access, by Mark Wilson
- Pretrial Detainee’s First Amendment Retaliation Claim Survives Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
- Prison and Jail Phone Reforms Needed in New Jersey, by Karina Wilkinson
- Class-Action Suit Claiming Inadequate Medical Care at Virginia Prison Set for Trial
- Drug Courts Partner with Pharmaceutical Company to Combat Heroin, Alcohol Abuse
- Washington State: Injunction Entered Against Lewis County in PLN Censorship Suit
- Leading with Conviction: JustLeadershipUSA, by Glenn E. Martin
- How the Courts View ACA Accreditation, by Alex Friedmann
- Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Hearings on Criminal Justice Reform
- Women in Solitary Confinement: “The Isolation Degenerates Us into Madness“, by Victoria Law
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Texas Court Finds CCA Subject to State’s Public Information Act, Awards Attorney Fees
- $750,000 Settlement for Washington State Prisoner’s Wrongful Death, by Carrie Wilkinson
- In Washington State Prisons, Negligent Health Care Turns Illness into a Death Sentence, by Rick Anderson
More from Victoria Law:
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026
- These Men Fought White Supremacists and Got Sentenced to Over 200 Years, May 1, 2024
- In an Ominous Pattern, People Are Dying Once Transferred to Louisiana Prison, March 1, 2023
- 17 States and DC Have Stopped Reporting Active COVID Cases Behind Bars, Sept. 1, 2022
- “The Worst Prison in New York State”, March 1, 2022
- ‘Prisons Are No Place for a Pandemic:’ Advocates Fight to Free Their Loved Ones, June 1, 2020
- Most States Saw Criminal Justice Reforms in 2019, But Incarceration Rates Remain High, March 4, 2020
- The Other Family Separation: Prisoners Fight to Keep Their Children, Jan. 7, 2020
- Behind Bars, Co-Pays Are a Barrier to Basic Health Care, Nov. 4, 2019
- Imagine Pleading Guilty Because You Can’t Afford to Call Your Lawyer, July 2, 2019
More from these topics:
- New York Juvenile Detention Officials Sued for Abusing Adolescents with Solitary Confinement, May 1, 2026. Sanitation, Lockdowns, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Juvenile Prisons, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, April 1, 2026. Injunctions, Class Certification, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026. Transfers, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Fifth Amendment, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Prison Classification.
- New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner, March 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Staffing, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Guard Unions, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise.

