Cierra Walton

English 1001
Professor. Dorhout
10-16-2016
Solitary Confinement
Department of Justice. "Behavior Modification Programs: The Bureau of Prisons' Alternative to Long
Term Segregation." By the Comptroller General of the United States (1975): n. page.
United States General Accounting Office, 5 Aug. 1975. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

This report is about the Bureau of Prison (BOP) approach to new methods of
evaluating inmates behavioral capabilities in long term segregation
unit. Inmates in long term segregation units were not being assessed,
and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) felt that inmates
lacked proper treatment for their issues. The GAO suggested a new
policy that includes evaluations, check-ups and to be properly placed
based on characteristics of their behaviors. This is a scholarly article
with the purpose to inform us of the behavioral aspect of solitary
confinement. Yes, this source could be used in a research essay.
Lawrence, Sarah, and Daniel P. Mears. Benefit-cost Analysis of Supermax Prisons:
Critical Steps and Considerations. Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute, 2004.
Urban Institute Justice Policy Center, Jan. 2006. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
The Urban Institute conducted research to analyze economic benefits of the
Supermax prisons. Funded by the National Institute of Justice, their goal is to

determine if supermax prisons are worth being around or if these inmates can be in
a regular penitentiary. Also, they teach correctional officers the advantages of
looking at the benefit-cost analysis tool. This was a scholarly source and was written
to make people understand the economics to the non-benefits of Supermax prisons.
Yes, this source could be used in a research essay.
Mears, Daniel P. "Supermax Prisons." Evaluating the Effectiveness of Supermax
Prisons (n.d.): n. page. Urban Institute, Jan. 2006. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
The Urban Institute conducted research on state and federal correctional facilities
vs. supermax prisons. The conclusion was supermax prisons remain questionable.
The research was conducted on the goals, impacts, and financial structure by
interviewing different member of the justice system, including wardens and state
legislators. The question still remains if a supermax prison is worth the money or if
the inmates can exist in a regular federal prison. Referring back to the benefit cost
analysis allocating the money from a supermax prison to federal facilities would
disperse the money more evenly and effectively and provide jobs at state and
federal levels. This was a scholarly article to inform people of the difference
between regular prison and supermax prisons. Yes, this article could be used in a
research paper.
Thigpen, Morris L., Director, Susan M. Hunter, and Prisons Division Chief. "Special
Issues in Corrections." SUPERMAX HOUSING: A SURVEY OF CURRENT
PRACTICE (1997): 1-16. U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of
Corrections Information Center, Mar. 1997. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
The National Institute of Corrections Prison Divisions and Information Center
conducts a survey on supermax practices. This survey was to get details on the

structure of the prison, and took place in 1996 to show the construction of the
prison and capacity. The idea was to plan for inmate management and look into
treatments for the inmates such as behavioral treatment programs. This was more
of a popular article with the purpose to tell the practices of supermax prisons. No,
this article could not be used in a solitary confinement research paper.
Riveland, Chase. "National Institute of Corrections." Encyclopedia of Prisons &
Correctional Facilities (1999): 1-44. U.S. Department of Justice National
Institute of Corrections, Jan. 1999. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
This article was used to give an understanding of what a supermax prison is.
According to the article it is defined as a highly restricted, and high custody secure
facility. This was not limited to the one full facility; a federal prison could have a
unit designed for these high-risk inmates. These inmates include violent inmates
who have escape attempts or have assaulted other inmates. The purpose of the
article was to define and detail the operation of supermax prisons. This was a
scholarly article that was also talking about the structure of supermax prisons which
is not a good source to use in a research paper.

Breslow, Jason M. "What Does Solitary Confinement Do to Your Mind?" Frontline.

PBS, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
This article defines solitary confinement and also administrative segregation. It talks
about although people think solitary confinement is beneficial it is really harmful to
the social environment. It also talks about how it makes the inmates more
dangerous and hard for them to adjust. This is a popular source that was addressed
more to the regular population explaining why prison systems should not use

solitary confinement. Yes, you could use this source in a research paper on solitary
confinement.

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