This book examines American solitary confinement - in which around
100,000 prisoners are held at any one time - and argues that under a
moral reading of individual rights such punishment is not only a matter
of public interest, but requires close constitutional scrutiny. While
Eighth Amendment precedent has otherwise experienced a generational
fixation on the death penalty, this book argues that such scrutiny must
be extended to the hidden corners of the US prison system.
Despite significant reforms to capital sentencing by the executive and
legislative branches, Eastaugh shows how the American prison system as a
whole has escaped meaningful judicial oversight. Drawing on a wide range
of socio-political contexts in order to breathe meaning into the moral
principles underlying the punishments clause, the study includes an
extensive review of professional (medico-legal) consensus and
comparative transnational human rights standards united against
prolonged solitary confinement. Ultimately, Eastaugh argues that this
practice is unconstitutional. An informed and empowering text, this book
will be of particular interest to scholars of law, punishment, and the
criminal justice system.