[tronje]

I don't want this to sound snide, but have you read the whole article? Inmates are literally driven insane by solitary confinement, driven to self harm and suicide.

It's not like you just get a cell for yourself as you would wish for in, say, a hospital; you are actually completely alone for months on end, with hardly any recreational activities, maybe none at all. That's much worse than having to cope with a celly who might be a bit unpleasant.

[entropyneur]

I did read the entire article and that's exactly my point. Despite my rational mind being fully on board with the fact that solitary is a hundred times worse my feelings remain skewed in the other direction. So much that they would override rational judgement if given an opportunity. This is quite an uncomfortable feeling for someone who considers himself a rational person and I'd like to investigate it.

[p1esk]

I have actually read an article similar to this one about horrors of sharing a prison cell with someone else. Think about years of sharing a small windowless bathroom 23 hours a day with someone who is crazy, violent, and stronger than you. Oh yeah, and he's doing life for killing a bunch of people because he simply didn't like them, or couldn't control his rage.