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Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice

Volume 11, Issue 2-3, 2011

Special Issue: Ethical Issues in Prisoner Treatment, Offender Therapy, and Community Reentry: International Perspectives and Policy Considerations

Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: A Human Rights and Ethical Analysis

Solitary Confinement and Supermax Prisons: A Human Rights and Ethical Analysis

DOI:
10.1080/15228932.2011.537582
Sharon Shalev LLMPhDa*

pages 151-183

Available online: 23 Mar 2011

Abstract

This article examines how the prolonged solitary confinement and additional deprivations in supermax prisons measure up against legal protections afforded to those deprived of their liberty. It suggests that if the prohibition against cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment were to be taken at face value, supermax confinement would meet the definition of what constitutes such treatment, and urges the courts to re-examine their position regarding supermax confinement. It also suggests that health professionals are well placed, and ethically bound, to play a more active part in efforts to curtail the use of prolonged solitary confinement in all places of detention.

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Details

  • Available online: 23 Mar 2011

Author affiliations

  • a London School of Economics and Political Science & International Centre for Prison Studies, London, United Kingdom

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