The New York Times reported on the Senate’s first ever hearing about solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. The hearing was chaired by U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, and this hearing could greatly impact the residents of Illinois because of the current efforts to shutter the “supermax” prison at Tamms. Holding prisoners in solitary confinement is more expensive, may result in higher rates of recidivism, and inflicts lasting harm on people who have endured such imprisonment.
“We can have a just society, and we can be humane in the process,” Mr. Durbin said. “We can punish wrongdoers, and they should be punished under our system of justice, but we don’t have to cross that line.”
