Segregation Essays - Penology, Forensic Psychology,

Segregation has been around since man can tell it has been a tactic that once used to practically drive individuals beyond the brink of sanity some experts to this day still believe that segregation in the prison systems is a prime factor for causing psychological disorders, many theories have been discussed but not very many have been proven about segregation and its effect on the human mind. Administrative segregation primary purpose is to keep an inmate from associating with the general inmate population. Grounds for confining inmate in administrative segregation are: inmate has acted, has attempted to act or intends to act in a manner that jeopardizes the security of the penitentiary or the safety of any person, presence of the inmate in the general inmate population would jeopardize the inmate's own safety and presence of the inmate in the general inmate population would interfere with an investigation that could lead to a criminal charge or a charges of a serious disciplinary offence. Human rights and/or Constitutional rights are not at fault when a convicted felon is placed in solitary confinement. There are quite a few rights that are granted to free men and subsequently are lost while incarcerated in prison. To be placed in solitary confinement (or segregation, as it is known) is something an individual earns through his inability to follow rules, regulations, policy and procedure within the Penal system. Solitary is a last gap measure used to isolate a person who has caused severe damage to property or physical harm to either another inmate or staff. Once placed in solitary, there are many rules that have to be followed and procedures that must be adhered to in order to monitor the individual during the placement. I don't fully agree with total isolation for prisoners.. Not to mention that there are lots of people who are non-violent offenders, and some are innocent believe it or not. I do think that serial killers, child molesters, and rapists should go on the top of the list for total isolation. On the other hand the benefit is that by isolating all prisoners, you cut down on violence in prisons and reduce the influence of prisoners on each other. The drawback is that extended isolation causes psychological harm. That's why it's only used for severe punishment.