Editor’s note: This story is part of a three-part series about Pennsylvania’s use of solitary confinement and the effects it has on inmates who endure it. The focus on this topic is the result of the reporter’s participation in the 2018 John Jay/Langeloth Foundation Fellowship on “Reinventing Solitary Confinement.”
The time in solitary, which started in 2006, changed his life forever. Years later, he says he’s still coping. Ray was not diagnosed with a serious mental illness while in prison, but the effects of his time spent in solitary have, at times, been debilitating.
People who spend time in solitary can experience lasting mental health issues, particularly those who already have a mental illness.
Ray never had mental health concerns before solitary. Now, a visit to the grocery store can provoke a sweat and panic. Sometimes, he can only stay long enough to buy peanut butter and jelly. When he meets someone new, it’s only a matter of time before he retreats and ends the relationship. He isolates himself. He converted his home office into a jail cell. The misery of solitary confinement became his new normal. He’s changed.
Today, Ray is a contract employee for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, working in the Allegheny County Jail Service Coordination Unit. He helps people leaving jail find jobs, housing and stability. In May 2018, he founded Realistic ReEntry, an organization that facilitates mentorships for men and women returning to society after time in prison or jail.
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https://www.publicsource.org/16-months-in-solitary-confinement-pennsylvania-has-had-lasting-effects/
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