[Brian-Puccio]

My theory is that if I see someone's arm being broken as a form of punishment, the pain and suffering is readily visible, which triggers a sort of empathetic reaction.

But if I see someone in a windowless room by themselves, it's easy to dismiss that as "not so bad". I could even rationalize is and say "I'm an introvert and like quiet" or "general population is probably less safe, this would be better for me". There is no understanding of what it is like to spend weeks (which would do me in, let alone months or years) locked in a cage with no natural light, no calendar, a light that is never turned off and no conversation with anyone else.

Similarly, I've heard and read many people claim waterboarding isn't torture because "all they need to do is hold their breath, they should rationalize to themselves that the captors aren't actually trying to drown them". I believe solitary confinement is cruel because of the psychological effect and shouldn't be used as it is today for the same reasons I think mock executions shouldn't be either. (Sure, you don't kill the person, but you're still psychologically torturing them.)

If you don't believe that humans are social animals and need to interact with other humans on a regular basis, read about feral children [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child

[azraomega]

But what if they gonna stab somebody or somebody gonna stab them? I can see the purpose of solitary confinement. It might have been misused (like everything else). If the solution is better trained prison guard, or an alternative "nicer confine area" which cost more tax money, it seems pointless. Of course we need better prison guard operation process, but all you gonna get is "they are trying their best" kind of answer.