U.N. asked to investigate solitary confinement as torture

[n2doc]

Calling solitary confinement "torture," California prisoners and advocates are asking the United Nations to investigate the segregated housing of gang members at prisons throughout the state.

"We have California treating several thousand prisoners in much the same way the U.S. government treats enemy combatants held in Guantanamo," said Peter Schey, an attorney representing hundreds of inmates.

Schey, who announced the petition at a news conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday alongside prisoners' relatives, said solitary confinement was devastating to the physical and mental health of prisoners and was likely to increase their risk of committing more crimes upon release.

The petition was filed on behalf of about 400 prisoners, including Walter J. Coto at Corcoran State Prison.

"Every single moment I've spent in these torture chambers has chipped away my humanity," Coto wrote.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0321-solitary-20120321,0,5792322.story

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. The people who KILL others unless confined solitarily....

...should be in solitary confinement. If someone can't control themselves, why shouldn't they be confined? What other choice do we have as a society? Let them out to kill everyone? That'll work.

[MannyGoldstein]

3. They can still have human contact from behind bars, if need be.

Unless that causes too much agitation.

I can't imagine many cases where that would happen.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Of course it's torture

We live in disturbing times.