Solitary Confinement and Prison Personnel: Emotional numbing as a response to work in extended restrictive housing*

Abstract

Drawing on prior theory and research, this study develops and tests hypotheses about the potential for work in extended restrictive housing (ERH), which entails solitary confinement, to contribute to emotional numbing among personnel. It draws on a mixed-methods approach using data from a large-scale survey and from focus groups and interviews with correctional personnel. As compared to work in general population housing (GPH), ERH work was reported to be associated with greater emotional numbing due in part to unique aspects of this work. The numbing effects, then, may have adverse consequences for personnel's mental and physical health and relationships. Implications for understanding the punitive era and social order in prisons are discussed.