This Saturday morning, coinciding with the Race Against Racism and Humanity Fest in Lancaster, attendees will have the opportunity to see a replica solitary confinement cell at Musser Park. This event complements efforts of the Diocese of Central PA to raise awareness of issues of racism and social injustice. The display will open at 9 a.m.
Solitary confinement is the practice of isolating a prisoner in a closed cell for 22 to 24 hours a day – often for weeks or months, and sometimes for years or decades at a time. At Lancaster’s Race Against Racism on April 30 the public will have the opportunity to see and, possibly, experience a solitary confinement cell. Lancaster Friends Meeting (Quakers) built a replica of an isolation/confinement cell or special housing unit (AKA “SHU”). In addition to imposing physical isolation, this cell replicates the noises of a solitary confinement prison cell both day and night. On April 30 adults are invited to Musser Park (North Lime and East Chestnut St, Lancaster) to briefly experience a 6’ x 8′ solitary confinement cell – to experience* a prisoner’s environment devoid of meaningful human interaction.
No comprehensive nationwide data is available on use of solitary confinement in prisons. It is documented that some 20,000 inmates in super maximum security prisons are held in solitary confinement. Ten of thousands more are locked up in local jails, prisons, and penitentiaries. The American Journal of Public Health (Feb.’14) found that detainees in solitary confinement in New York City jails were nearly 7 times more likely to harm themselves than those in general prison population. This effect is particularly pronounced for youth and people with severe mental illness. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry asserts that solitary confinement of juveniles can lead to clinical depression, anxiety, and psychosis. It has been shown that solitary confinement can cause psychotic symptoms in prisoners with no previous history of mental illness.
By portraying the hidden, but real, situation, this solitary confinement display at Musser Park also portrays hidden and real discrimination against persons of color. This exposure coincides with the Lancaster Race Against Racism endeavor to bring racism to society’s awareness.
Facts about Racial Discrimination in the Prison System
African Americans represent 40% of those in prison or jails but only 13% of the US population. About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans reported using an illicit drug, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses 10 times the rate of whites. African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months).
According to The Intercept (7/16/ 2015) “How Racist is Solitary Confinement?“ by Erika Eichelberger, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows that African American and Hispanic inmates are vastly more likely to be punished with solitary confinement than their white counterparts. The records of 45,000 first-time inmates in the New York City jail system between 2011 and 2013 found that African Americans were 2.52 times more likely than whites to be put in solitary confinement. Hispanics were 1.65 times more likely to enter solitary confinement. The study findings fall in line with that of a handful of states that had also collected data.
* Persons with anxiety, claustrophobia or any anxiety condition should carefully consider whether participation is appropriate.