The Seattle Times reports some enlightened thinking at the WA DOC:
Washington state is at the forefront of a national re-examination. Instead of facing nothing but forced solitude, Washington inmates in solitary units — called Intensive Management Units, or IMUs — are increasingly being let out for hours to attend classes, see counselors or hit the gym.
It is a clear move to the left in prison management, but one that Washington prison managers say is rooted in data.
I hope this catches on nationwide. I've witnessed the deterioration of the mind of someone I care about as he was left in isolation for weeks and sometimes months on end...it is horrific, inhumane and does NOTHING to help rehabilitate anyone..!
The PNW is really amazing when it comes to change. I give it 5 years and not only will this change have taken place in Washington but to at least 1/3 of the other states in our country.
I so hope you are right and that this idea really takes off. I worked as an advocate for prisoners and got to know several of them really well…the changes in their mental abilities and grasp on reality were always so drastic that sometimes their letters would devolve into gibberish after the 3rd or 4th week of solitary confinement. Heartbreaking and so unnecessary!
Reblogged this on A Solitary Torture.