Hell Is a Very Small Place

Voices from Solitary Confinement

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Crimes & Criminals, Penology, Political Science
Cover of the book Hell Is a Very Small Place by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd, The New Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd ISBN: 9781620971383
Publisher: The New Press Publication: November 11, 2014
Imprint: The New Press Language: English
Author: Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
ISBN: 9781620971383
Publisher: The New Press
Publication: November 11, 2014
Imprint: The New Press
Language: English

“An unforgettable look at the peculiar horrors and humiliations involved in solitary confinement” from the prisoners who have survived it (New York Review of Books).

On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that—beyond fifteen days—has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.”

These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement.

“Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.” —President Barack Obama

“Elegant but harrowing.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.” —Kirkus Reviews

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

“An unforgettable look at the peculiar horrors and humiliations involved in solitary confinement” from the prisoners who have survived it (New York Review of Books).

On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that—beyond fifteen days—has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.”

These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement.

“Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.” —President Barack Obama

“Elegant but harrowing.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.” —Kirkus Reviews

More books from The New Press

Cover of the book Founding Myths by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The Herb Kohl Reader by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The Last Gun by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Right Out of California by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The World According to Monsanto by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Other People's Children by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The Moral Underground by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book In a Day’s Work by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Shattered by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Gone Tomorrow by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The First American Revolution by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Ending Poverty in America by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book The Chicken Chronicles by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book Lightning by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
Cover of the book A People's History of World War II by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, Sarah Shourd
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy