Today, Solitary Watch is publishing the third in a new series of fact sheets offering facts, analysis, and resources on a variety of topics related to solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails, and immigrant and juvenile facilities. This fact sheet, written by by Sara Rain Tree, covers the wide-ranging and devastating psychological effects of solitary.

As the fact sheet states, “A growing body of research has found that solitary confinement not only further exacerbates the symptoms of mental illness in individuals already diagnosed with psychiatric conditions, but also creates new mental health issues in people with no previous history of mental illness.”

The first fact sheet in the new series addressed “Racism and Solitary Confinement,” while the second covered the often overlooked “Collateral Consequences of Solitary Confinement.” Future entries in the fact sheet series will cover “The Neurological Effects Consequences of Solitary Confinement,” “Solitary Confinement and Prison Violence,” and the specific impacts of solitary on LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and children—with nearly a dozen fact sheets currently in progress. Fact sheets are designed to be accessed online and also printed out and copied for use by educators, advocates, policymakers, and others.