Solitary Confinement
Is long-term solitary confinement torture?
The simple truth is that public sentiment in America is the reason that solitary confinement has exploded in this country, even as other Western nations have taken steps to reduce it. This is the dark side of American exceptionalism. With little concern or demurral, we have consigned tens of thousands of our own citizens to conditions that horrified our highest court a century ago.
I continue to be astounded by the lucid style and gripping story-telling of Dr. Atul Gawande. Given his position as a practicing surgeon and faculty at Harvard, I do not understand how he finds the hours to do the journalistic interviews with the subjects of his articles. On top of that, he writes books. Truly breathtaking time-management.