The psychological impact of solitary: A longitudinal comparison of general population and long‐term administratively segregated male inmates

Abstract

Purpose. This study expands upon existing research on the psychological impact of administrative segregation on inmates by addressing several methodological limitations in this body of literature.Methods. Using a pre-post design, this study compared male general population (GP) inmates in the United States to those with up to 4 years in segregated placement across scores on the MCMI-III.Results. While segregated inmates reported higher levels of distress (particularly on measures of anxiety, depressed mood, post-traumatic stress, and somatic complaints) compared to the GP at post-assessment, scores did not reach the clinical cut-off. Further, inmates generally did not deteriorate as time in restrictive housing increased.Conclusions. Thus, compared to the GP, who showed some improvement in functioning, segregated inmates remained largely the same. Rather than causing significant psychological damage, it is more likely that segregation is a barrier to opportunities for continued growth. Study limitations and recommendations for reforms in the use of segregation are presented.

Shedding Light on “the Hole”: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Adverse Psychological Effects and Mortality Following Solitary Confinement in Correctional Settings

“…This, along with controlled studies (17,23,52,57,58), indicates that inmates with a known mental illness are not driving the entirety of the association between SC and psychological distress. Lastly, some studies observed that whereas general population inmates improved over time on measures of psychiatric symptoms, SC inmates remained stable (52,56). If most inmates are indeed improving with time (54), stability in SC could be viewed as its own negative outcome.…”

“…Symptoms were either evaluated as part of correctional clinical evaluations (51), by trained graduate students (33,54) or selfreported by inmates (52,55). The database was characterised by FIGURE 1 | Flowchart of the search strategy to identify the 13 studies included in systematic review and 7 studies in meta-analysis.…”

Checking the Math: Do Restrictive Housing and Mental Health Need Add Up to Psychological Deterioration?

“…The results of the O’Keefe et al (2013) and Zinger et al (2001) studies failed to show evidence of increased psychological distress and mental health symptomatology in AS inmates compared with general population inmates, whereas results from the Chadick et al (2018) study offered no support for the assertion that placement in AS inevitably leads to psychological deterioration in those who receive such treatment. These findings are inconsistent with the founding tenets of SHU syndrome and the notion that long-term confinement in restrictive housing aggravates mental health symptomatology (Blanchette, 2001; Brodsky & Scogin, 1988; Haney, 2003; Jackson, 2001).…”

“…In what is probably the most recently published study on restrictive housing and psychological deterioration, Chadick, Batastini, Levulis, and Morgan (2018) examined a sample of 48 adult male offenders remanded to the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC). The 24 inmates sampled from restrictive housing, where they had been living for past 1 to 4 years, were matched on age, ethnicity, primary psychiatric diagnosis, and most severe crime with 24 general population inmates.…”

“…There was only one change in scores over time, however: Time spent in segregation correlated significantly with alcohol dependence. Comparing the two groups, Chadick et al (2018) discovered that while the psychological status of general population inmate gradually improved over time, the psychological status of inmates in administrative segregation remained stable. The overall conclusion from this study was that placement in administrative segregation had no apparent deleterious effect on an inmate’s psychological functioning over time.…”