Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner and has been cited as an additional measure of protection from the inmate or is given for violations of prison regulations. It is also used as a form of protective custody and to implement a suicide watch.
Solitary confinement is colloquially referred to in American English as the 'hotbox', the 'hole', 'lockdown', 'SCU' (Solitary Confinement Unit), 'AdSeg' (Administrative Segregation), the 'SHU' (pronounced 'shoe')—an acronym for security housing unit, or the 'pound'; and in British English as the 'block' or the 'cooler'. In Canada they are known as a Special Handling Unit.
Read more about Solitary Confinement: History, Use, Solitary Confinement in The United States, Solitary Confinement in The UK, Criticism, Actions, Alternatives, Proponents
Famous quotes containing the words solitary and/or confinement:
“Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide;
They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary way.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“We’re all of us sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life!”
—Tennessee Williams (1914–1983)