Solitary

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Audience Member Well-done documentary about a Virginia prison where people are sent specifically to be incarcerated in solitary cells for 23 hours a day. I learned a lot. Before watching this, I didn't even know there were specialty prisons for solitary. The most telling part of the movie is the interviews with inmates talking about how they tried to cope. Most of them "just wanted something to do" but were denied the ability to contribute to their own life or the lives of others in any way. With no other stimuli, they talked about how important it felt to fight for the small rights they had 'I am supposed to get 2 pieces of bread on my plate, and on a day when I don't, it makes me get so frustrated and angry.' Also highlighted were the dehumanizing aspects. The lights in their cells are so bright that when they look out their small window at the guards, their pupils widen to adjust to the light difference, giving them the appearance of being inhuman/crazy. Every time they leave their cells its 'give me all your clothes, turn around, spread your butt cheeks, bend over and cough.' Most telling is the video of unit managers doing daily rounds where they are supposed to talk to the inmates through the door for a few seconds, to see how each one is doing. One inmate, participating in a "step-down" program to go to a less secure, more social wing of the prison, asks the manager when he can go. The manager responds that the inmate needs to complete a program. The inmate says he has, and attempts to show the manager a certificate of completion, but the unit manager ignores the inmate and only repeats several times that the inmate needs to complete the already-completed program, then walks off. It's clear that the prison guards are talking-at rather than listening to the inmates, even when the inmates are following the rules, and this is rightfully very upsetting for the prisoners. I attended a panel after the film where an administrator at the prison highlighted the procedures the staff at the prison are supposed to go through. A parent of one prisoner spoke up to say "Your written procedures are great. If they were followed, they would be wonderful. But if they were followed, I wouldn't need to be here today, speaking out. If they were followed, this documentary wouldn't have been made." Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member An impartial look at a federal prison, every aspect is covered. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Solitary

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