Disciplinary confinement in prison does more harm than good

Almost no social contact

Disciplinary confinement often means spending 23 hours a day alone in a cell with very few activities, only limited access to a phone and almost no social contact. 

For people who are already in a fragile state because of incarceration, the additional break from the outside world, enforced idleness and perceived injustice create a “perfect cocktail of psychological suffering,” said Dumais.

This effect is particularly pronounced in people with mental health issues (psychotic disorders, depression, borderline personality disorder, etc.), he added.

“These individuals, who are already vulnerable, are less likely to learn from punishment," said Dumais, a psychiatrist at the Philippe-Pinel forensic psychiatric hospital and the Montreal University Institute of Mental Health.

"For them, segregation is likely to breed anger, frustration and deterioration of psychological well-being.”

Dumais also noted that many incarcerated individuals had childhoods marred by traumatic experiences, violence or abandonment at an early age. “Adding punishments to the burden they already carry is unlikely to bring about lasting change in their behaviour,” he said.

Alternatives are available

Removing an agitated or disruptive person can help calm the situation temporarily, Dumais acknowledged. But it also creates a ticking time bomb: the inmate remains unstable.

While there are no simple solutions to preventing escalation, Dumais believes there are alternatives that would have more positive—and lasting—effects. The main idea is to shift from a punitive mindset to a supervised mental healthcare approach, in a provincial prison environment where resources are often scant. 

For example, controlled withdrawal areas could be set up where agitated inmates could be managed without being completely confined, Dumas suggested. These areas could provide access to a telephone, support workers, care and some activities (such as reading, games and hygiene). 

Dumais also believes that treatment outside the prison, at facilities such as psychiatric hospitals, would be advisable in some cases.

“It’s also important to intervene quickly,” he added. “Waiting several hours for a basic need to be met while in segregation can be extremely stressful.”