Cruel and usual: US solitary confinement

As incarceration rates explode in the US, thousands are placed in solitary confinement, often without cause.

The US does not keep data on the number of inmates in solitary confinement [GALLO/GETTY] The spectre of Bradley Manning lying naked and alone in a tiny cell at the Quantico Marine Base, less than 50 miles from Washington, DC, conjures up images of an American Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, where isolation and deprivation have been raised to the level of torture. In fact, the accused Wikileaker, now in his tenth month of solitary confinement, is far from alone in his plight. Every day in the US, tens of thousands of prisoners languish in "the hole".

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reply to post by Illuminati_2012


From Al-Jazeera...

And Bradley Manning is on suicide watch. He's not lying naked in a cell. He's given a suicide proof smock after being stripped searched. He's kept in solitary confinement because he's a high classification risk.

BS propaganda.

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.

reply to post by projectvxn


He was only recently given that smock.

Starting on March 2, Private Manning was forced by guards at the Marine Corps brig at Quantico, Va., to sleep without clothing at night, though he has a blanket and in recent days has been given a “tear-proof smock” to wear at night, according to a Defense Department spokesman, Col. David Lapan.

www.nytimes.com...

The Al-Jazeera article is incorrect, but only by a couple weeks.

where is the cruel and unusual punishment?
This is standard procedure at many facilities. The fact hat the article say he was "Forced" makes it sound oppressive, well NO S***, that's because he is an inmate and inmates are oppressed in order to keep control.

reply to post by Illuminati_2012


Who cares if someone is in solitary confinement? Many crimes are without a doubt anti-social acts, so why should'nt a person who commits them be places outside of society? Does a criminal have the right to socialize and interact? No.

They also don't deserve TVs, exercise equipment and half the other "perks" they great.

reply to post by macman


Also, don't violate your oath!

people seem to forget that this kid is being tried under the UCMJ and applicable federal laws...his options are limited.