At the end of last week, Alysia, Claire and I toured the Maine
State Prison in Warren.
We scheduled the tour in anticipation of Representative Schatz’s bill that will
“reduce the use and abuse of solitary confinement.” The bill is currently with the Revisor’s
office at the State House, undergoing language tweaks.
For those of you that haven’t been to a jail or prison, it’s
hard to explain the feeling when you walk through the first door that clicks.
As a person free to move without restriction, I immediately felt claustrophobic
knowing I couldn’t quickly exit the room I had entered. During our tour, we were able to see the
areas where inmates are kept in solitary confinement, including a special wing
for inmates with serious mental illness; the ACLU of MAINE helped negotiate the creation
of this sub-unit three years ago. Inmates in solitary spend 23 hours a day,
five days a week in an individual cell with a bed and a toilet. Certain
approved materials can be brought in, such as books or papers. Five days a
week, prisoners in solitary confinement are shackled and taken for recreational
time outside. Recreational time for an
inmate in solitary consists of less than an hour of time outside, literally, in
a cage. Two days a week, inmates are in solitary without any recreational time.
It was disturbing to know that inmates with mental illness also live in these
conditions.
I’m sure it goes without saying that observing the conditions
of solitary confinement was jarring… and a little surreal. I look forward to
working on Representative Schatz’s bill and moving toward a more humane
treatment of inmates in Maine.
For context on solitary confinement, read
this article in the New Yorker on this issue.