Analysis Of Long-Term Solitary Confinement
Long-Term Solitary Confinement Today in the United States, almost every state has built a supermax prison that utilizes the punishment of long-term solitary confinement, which effectiveness can be explained using the views of the social theorists, Michel Foucault and Emile Durkheim. In the opinion of Foucault, he believes in using punishment as a political tactic. On the other hand, Durkheim believes punishment reaffirms the moral order. Comparing the two, the trend of supermax prisons for long-term solitary confinement is much better supported by Foucault than Durkheim. Foucault views this as an effective means of punishment towards those who broke the law. On the other hand, Durkheim would believe that long-term solitary confinement in supermax
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130). The prisoners committed a crime, in which they wronged the rest of the public, so it is only right for the sovereign power to discipline these criminals. In addition, the supermax prison reflects the sort of power relations that Foucault endorses. The prison in itself acts as its own society and represents the rest of society, which the criminal wronged. This is shown by prisoners being sent to these supermax prisons by a Prison Administrator and not a judge or a jury2. These prisoners are cut off from the rest of society, as they have no windows, cannot answer any phone calls, have any visitors, and are not able to see other prisoners. In this total solitary confinement, prisoners are permitted to only leave their room for an hour a day. During this process they are let out one at a time by a guard, which demonstrates the little control they have over their lives. They are separated from regular society, and inserted into the prison society. In Foucault’s point of view, these prisoners are learning discipline. The solitary confinement that the prisoners receive is private, which resembles his belief that, “Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process.” (Foucault, 1995, p. 9). By keeping the punishment private, the rest of the public has no idea what is …show more content…
In other words, they have committed war on the sovereign state, as Foucault likes to claim. As stated, Foucault believes that the sovereign should seek revenge against these violators, but it should be private as to not angry the masses. This is the reason prisons exist, and for the worst violators of the laws, this is the reason supermax prisons exist. Here in solitary isolation even the worst prisoners become docile bodies with discipline. The key to forming these prisoners into “docile bodies” according to Foucault is through cautious supervision and not excessive force. This is the process that is occurring in long term solitary confinement. Each prisoner is being systematically controlled by the prison, until they give into the discipline and they become good citizens. Whether it be the many hours spent alone in a cell, the guards constantly watching them or the strict schedule the prisoners stick to, this process slowly forces them into submission. As Foucault (1995) states, “The body, is required to be docile in its minutest operation”, when speaking on the subject of discipline (p.156). This docile body in the supermax prisons represent the prisoners, who can be more easily improved and transformed through
130). The prisoners committed a crime, in which they wronged the rest of the public, so it is only right for the sovereign power to discipline these criminals. In addition, the supermax prison reflects the sort of power relations that Foucault endorses. The prison in itself acts as its own society and represents the rest of society, which the criminal wronged. This is shown by prisoners being sent to these supermax prisons by a Prison Administrator and not a judge or a jury2. These prisoners are cut off from the rest of society, as they have no windows, cannot answer any phone calls, have any visitors, and are not able to see other prisoners. In this total solitary confinement, prisoners are permitted to only leave their room for an hour a day. During this process they are let out one at a time by a guard, which demonstrates the little control they have over their lives. They are separated from regular society, and inserted into the prison society. In Foucault’s point of view, these prisoners are learning discipline. The solitary confinement that the prisoners receive is private, which resembles his belief that, “Punishment, then, will tend to become the most hidden part of the penal process.” (Foucault, 1995, p. 9). By keeping the punishment private, the rest of the public has no idea what is …show more content…
In other words, they have committed war on the sovereign state, as Foucault likes to claim. As stated, Foucault believes that the sovereign should seek revenge against these violators, but it should be private as to not angry the masses. This is the reason prisons exist, and for the worst violators of the laws, this is the reason supermax prisons exist. Here in solitary isolation even the worst prisoners become docile bodies with discipline. The key to forming these prisoners into “docile bodies” according to Foucault is through cautious supervision and not excessive force. This is the process that is occurring in long term solitary confinement. Each prisoner is being systematically controlled by the prison, until they give into the discipline and they become good citizens. Whether it be the many hours spent alone in a cell, the guards constantly watching them or the strict schedule the prisoners stick to, this process slowly forces them into submission. As Foucault (1995) states, “The body, is required to be docile in its minutest operation”, when speaking on the subject of discipline (p.156). This docile body in the supermax prisons represent the prisoners, who can be more easily improved and transformed through