This is a part of No Pride in Prisons’ Abolitionist demands. These demands were originally published as a book. To see a pdf of the book, click here. To buy a copy, please email info@noprideinprisons.org.nz

Many people incarcerated in New Zealand are currently being held in conditions akin to solitary confinement.[1] Although the Department of Corrections does not name it as such, solitary confinement, or the deprivation of human interaction for extended periods of time, is torture.[2] As was reported in December 2015, teenagers at Mt Eden prison were being kept in their cells for 23 hours a day.[3] This kind of treatment, generally justified by the Department of Corrections as being in the interests of the person’s safety,[4] often leads to severe, long-lasting mental and physical harm to incarcerated people.[5] Solitary confinement increases the likelihood of someone self-harming, as well as attempting suicide.[6] Those released from extended periods of solitary confinement often suffer from acute post-traumatic stress disorder[7] and there have been reported cases of prisoners in New Zealand committing suicide following long stretches of solitary confinement.[8] There is absolutely no need for this dehumanising and degrading practice to continue, and the imposition of conditions akin to solitary confinement must be ended immediately.

[1] The Howard League, “Solitary confinement,” The Howard League, September 2015. http://www.howardleague.org.nz/blog/solitary-confinement.

[2] UN News Center, “Solitary Confinement Should be Banned in Most Cases, UN Expert Says,” UN News Center, 18 October 2011. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40097#.V6FndOt96Um.

[3] Stuff, “Locking Teens Up for 23 Hours a Day in Mt Eden Prison ‘Unacceptable’ – Minister,” Stuff, 3 December 2015. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/74678959/prison-inspections-reveal-teens-locked-up-for-23-hours-a-day-in-mt-eden.

[4] Jeremy Lightfoot, “Response C72257,” FYI.org.nz, 17 August 2015. https://fyi.org.nz/request/2864/response/9420/attach/html/3/Response%20C72257.pdf.htm

[5] Jeffrey L. Metzner and Jamie Fellner, “Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challenge for Medical Ethics,” The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 38, no 1 (2010).

[6] Seth Ferranti, “How Solitary Confinement Can Drive Inmates to Suicidal Thoughts,” Vice, 9 June 2015. http://www.vice.com/read/how-solitary-confinement-can-drive-inmates-to-suicidal-thoughts-610.

[7] Brandon Keim, “The Horrible Psychology of Solitary Confinement,” Wired, 7 October 2013. http://www.wired.com/2013/07/solitary-confinement-2/.

[8] Radio New Zealand, “Prisoner Death at Mt Eden Prison,” Radio New Zealand, 13 March 2016. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/298812/too-many-unnatural-deaths-in-prison-labour.