Free Webinar Recording on Solitary Confinement

Jul 31, 2017

NAMI hosted a SAMHSA-sponsored webinar on July 27 called “The Humane Imperative: Ending Solitary Confinement.”

Studies show that prolonged solitary confinement or other types of segregation in correctional settings are detrimental to the mental health of inmates. Placement in solitary confinement can last weeks, months or even years at a time. In some states, more than half of all inmates in facilities utilizing the most extreme forms of solitary confinement are diagnosed with serious mental illnesses. For people with pre-existing mental illness, it is almost a surefire way to worsen symptoms and exacerbate suffering. 

Check out a recording of the webinar, which includes discussion about national efforts to reform the use of solitary confinement in jails and prisons, as well as alternative strategies that have emerged for addressing the mental health treatment needs of inmates. Speakers highlighted the role of mental health providers and systems in helping people cope with the effects of solitary confinement and prolonged isolation during incarceration and upon reentry into communities.

Speakers

• Amy Fettig, Deputy Director, National Prison Project (NPP), ACLU
• Terry A. Kupers, M.D., M.S.P., Institute Professor Emeritus, The Wright Institute, Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  
• Ron Honberg, Senior Policy Advisor, NAMI

Watch the webinar recording here.