The Pennsylvania Solitary Study

Solitary confinement typically involves incarcerating people in a prison cell for 23 hours each day, often for months at a time, with strict limits on visits, phone calls, rehabilitative programming, and physical activity. These conditions are psychologically painful, can damage mental health, and increase recidivism, the likelihood of poor labor market outcomes, and elevate mortality risks. Sociologists Bruce Western and Jessica Simes will examine the inequalities and harms of solitary confinement in a Pennsylvania state prison. They will analyze data from interviews conducted with incarcerated men and prison correctional staff as well as administrative data from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for their study.