Prison Personnel Views of the Effects of Solitary Confinement on the Mental Health of Incarcerated Persons

The use of extended solitary confinement (ESC) has received domestic and international condemnation for its potential effects on the mental health of incarcerated persons. Despite the criticism, prison systems continue to rely on the practice. To advance understanding of why the housing is used and how correctional personnel view it, this study develops a theoretical model, based on concepts of human agency, empathy, and punitiveness, to examine perceptions of ESC and its effects on the mental health of incarcerated persons. The study examines survey responses from prison personnel who have worked in ESC and finds that personnel hold mixed views about ESC’s harms. Structural equation modeling indicates that perceptions about agency and empathy influence views about ESC and whether it harms the mental health of incarcerated persons in the housing. These relationships are mediated by punitiveness and point to nuanced views that personnel hold about ESC’s impacts.