Ending Isolation The Case Against Solitary Confinement

“These compelling reflections by people who have been entrapped within the tortures of solitary, should rekindle our abolitionist impulses at an especially critical moment in our history” Angela Y. Davis

“Offers an indispensable tool to campaigns for abolition everywhere” Juan E. Méndez, former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

“Powerful … These excruciating accounts from prisoners across the country shocked even me as I read them from the madhouse of Sing Sing” John J. Lennon, contributing editor at Esquire and author of The Tragedy of True Crime

The injustice and cruelty of the US carceral system find their barbaric apogee in the practice of solitary confinement. Once deemed a form of torture by the US Supreme Court, “the hole” is still wrongly used as a solution to prison overcrowding and violence. But locking someone in a cell the size of a parking space for months or years causes profound psychological harm. For Christopher Blackwell, it was a harrowing ordeal that changed his life forever. Ending Isolation weaves Chris’s vivid account with other stories from solitary, alongside insights from legal and medical experts. Through these narratives and undeniable research, the book makes a powerful case for abolishing this cruel and unusual punishment.

Christopher Blackwell is an award-winning journalist currently incarcerated in Washington State. Deborah Zalesne is a law professor at CUNY School of Law. Kwaneta Harris is a journalist who survived eight years in solitary in Texas. Terry Kupers is a leading medical expert on the harms of solitary confinement.

Christopher Blackwell is an award-winning journalist currently incarcerated in Washington State, serving a 45-year prison sentence for taking a human life. He is the co-founder, with Dr. Chelsea Moore, and current Executive Director of Look2Justice, a grassroots organization that transforms the legal system by empowering impacted people through civic education. His writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many more. He was awarded the 2024 Incarcerated Journalist of the Year award by Prison Journalism Project through their Stillwater Awards. You can find more about Christopher's writing and policy work at christopher-blackwell.com.

Deborah Zalesne is a Professor of Law at the City University of New York School of Law. She co-founded and co-directs Look2Justice's Writers Development Program for aspiring incarcerated writers. She is the author of three books and over fifty scholarly articles for publications such as the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism and the Columbia Journal of Race and the Law.