In The Membrane

One random extremely educational moment I experienced was going on an urban archeology tour of a former prison site in Providence, RI. They were knocking down some buildings and the prison foundations were underneath. The prison was actually built to be a new "humane" prison in the penitentiary model, much like Eastern State here in Philly (worth a visit, by the way). Prisoners were supposed to sit in solitary silence and contemplate their crimes.

The tour guide read some excerpts from the warden's diary. This is a caricature, but it went something like "Day 3. All of the prisoners seem to be going mad. I do not understand why."

Solitary confinement is torture. It drives people insane.

The prisons are one of the most misunderstood institutions of government. Solitary confinement drives individuals insane. And mandatory minimum sentences are a bad idea. These were the assertions of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer in testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee Monday afternoon.