half suffer from mental illness

As many as 50% of all people in solitary confinement suffer from mental illness, which is often exacerbated by isolation

85% have been sent for non-violent reasons

The most common non-violent disciplinary reason for being sent to solitary is talking back to a corrections officer

The average size of a solitary cell is 70 FT2

That's just a little larger than a king-size mattress and smaller than a parking space

3x more expensive than general population

The cost of isolating people in solitary is 300% more expensive than holding them in general prison population

15% have been held continuously

Almost 15% of the national population in solitary have been held there continuously for between 1-3 years consecutively

One-Third become psychotic or suicidal

Over 33% of those subjected to solitary become psychotic and/or suicidal within the first fifteen days. They're also 78% more likely to commit suicide within one year of release from prison