Is Solitary Confinement a Form of Torture? Q&A with journalist James Ridgeway

"Obama says we don't torture, but a lot of this is straight-up torture," says journalism legend James Ridgeway. "We call Guantanamo and Afghanistan torture and we never look at our own stuff."

Ridgeway is talking about the growing use - and abuse - of solitary confinement in American prisons. He estimates there are 80,000 prisoners currently in solitary, many whom are mentally ill and suicidal. One prisoner Ridgeway is following has been in solitary for 40 years and he notes that some lawmakers are proposing life sentences in solitary as a "humane" alternative to the death penalty. Ridgeway and associates report their findings at SolitaryWatch.com.

Ridgeway is currently a Washington, D.C. correspondent for Mother Jones. He was a longtime correspondent for the Village Voice, and he's best known for uncovering that General Motors hired private detectives to try and defame consumer advocate Ralph Nader back in 1966.

ReasonTV's Nick Gillespie sat down with Ridgeway to talk about the growing use of solitary and what we can do about it.

About 5 minutes.

Shot by Jim Epstein and Tracy Oppenheimer, and edited by Epstein.

Go to http://Reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive automatic updates when new stories go live.

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  News & Politics

[JeremiahLawrenceTV]

Most guys confined in prison are the result of WAR ON DRUGS. They're NOT real criminals. Obama, the president, could be in jail today for taking marijuana if the current law was in used when he was still in college.

[afterexile]

Solitary Confinement is no joke, IT WILL SCREW UP ANYONE. If general population in prison can turn the average person into a stronger criminal then solitary confinement can turn that person into a psycho path, I have seen it first hand, it is horrible and needs to be abolished.

[DoubleR2591]

Mentally ill people aside, putting anyone in solitary confinement is cruel and torture. Now I'm against the death penalty, but I would much rather see someone face lethal injection that a life in solitary confinement any day of the week

[geppegep]

they abuse this in Norway too

[DazeP176]

Nothing wrong with solitary confinement this old fart doesn't give a f*** about the victims families. Lets take the batman massacre for instinct I dnt think they should kill the orange hair cracker I think he deserves the rest of his life in pure darkness solitary confinement should stay. America is full of shit there always a damn problem

[Jack Bauer]

I believe that although they are not taking them for the direct defense of their own rights, however the people they are taking them from have shown a disregard for others rights and by taking away the criminals rights you are indirectly protecting the rights of the the rest of society. And that makes it ok in certain situations. That makes it amoral. 

[Jack Bauer]

it is amoral but how could i have said yes or no when you typed immoral? that completely changes the question, so dont be an ass

[Jack Bauer]

I am not holding them to different standards. Your analogy is incorrect. Taxes are your payment for a service, if you leave than you dont pay than you dont receive your service, however that thieve is taking your service, or in this case a product, and you lose both your money and the product but in taxes you are buying something. Its more like if a certain store is selling something and you dont like it or the price than you go to a different store

[Jack Bauer]

i cant give you a black and white answer because there is a grey area in between. They are simply right in some situations and wrong in others. Also the fact that you can leave this country for one you deem to be better is what makes taxes not theft. You are paying for a service because you choose to, you have the option to leave.