40 Years of Solitude

Over the years, I had heard only bits and pieces about the Angola 3; Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox; three Louisiana men who were serving time for a robbery when they were convicted of murdering a prison guard in April of 1972.  It wasn't until just recently that the case came back to my attention, when Mr. Woodfox was released last week after serving the longest sentence in solitary confinement in US history.  

Solitary confinement is a pretty self-explanatory term; "serious, predatory" offenders, are confined to a cell alone, for 22-24 hours per day, usually in an effort to protect the safety of themselves and others.  Prisoners who are considered to be at risk for violence (e.g. pedophiles, witnesses, children, etc) are also kept in isolation as well as prisoners, like the A3, who were "suspected of organizing illegal activities" inside prison walls.  The punishment was initially intended to allow prisoners to "reflect on their misdeeds and draw closer to God" through isolation and seclusion from others.

After their conviction in 1972, this was the fate of the Angola 3, who were kept in seclusion for fear that they would organize an uprising in the prison and spread "Black Pantherism" among the other inmates.  All three men were sent to solitary in 1972, King for 29 years before he was released, Wallace for 40 years until his release in 2013 and Woodfox, serving 43 of his 45 year sentence in isolation until his release on February 19.  

I won't even discuss the fact that Mr. Woodfox's case was overturned three times, how the prosecution's witnesses were discredited, how evidence was lost and racial discrimination was rampant throughout the trial.  I was more intrigued by the impact that spending that much time alone can have on a person's psyche and how Mr. Woodfox and the others seem to have emerged with their faculties intact. Its interesting that I didn't really think of keeping someone alone as a form of torture until I learned about the effect it has on people over the course of time.  

Prisoners who have spent time in solitary describe it as "spirit-killing," "mind-altering," saying that "people come in with a few minor problems and leave as sociopaths."  Many prisoners report that it only takes a few days for some to begin having hallucinations, talking to themselves and displaying early signs of psychosis such as paranoia, disorganized speech and bizarre behavior.  Mr. Woodfox says he was able to survive only through reading and trying to stay connected to the outside world, but still suffered severe panic attacks, hallucinations and insomnia for much of his time there.

Research shows that prolonged periods of seclusion can lead to a condition called "isolation panic"- with symptoms such as severe anxiety, insomnia, aggression, depression, delusions and self-harm. The psychological effects of forced seclusion are often irreversible and can present themselves in as little as 15 days.  This punishment is especially harmful to those already dealing with mental illness, as being placed in isolation exacerbates their conditions and limits access to medical and mental health care.

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I've read that the goal of isolation is to keep prisoners and guards safe from the most aggressive inmates, but it seems that prolonged isolation from others actually contributes to the high rates of recidivism among those who spend time there.  Many of those held in "super max" prisons need to be "re-socialized" before they can be released into society, and rates of recidivism among this group are as high as 20% in some states.

We don't have to debate the fact that people who commit crimes deserve to be punished.  I get it.  But, where are the limits?  Since we know human beings are social creatures what is the real goal here?  Are we trying to break people's minds?  Are we punishing them for their crimes by slowly driving them insane using methods we know for sure will work?  It just doesn't seem right.


So after 45 years, Mr. Woodfox is finally free.  Finally out of the 6x9 box he has spent the last half-century of his life in. As I said, I'm not here to debate his guilt or innocence, I'm just amazed that he survived this long in a room by himself and a little shocked that our system of justice relies on a form of psychological torture as punishment.
How do you feel about it?  Find out more about it here and let me know what you think.