Today, Solitary Watch is publishing the eleventh in a series of fact sheets that offer 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 Jack Warshal, is titled “The High Cost of Solitary Confinement.”

As the fact sheet states: “While the costs borne by individuals forced into solitary confinement are immeasurable, the practice is also far more expensive than other forms of incarceration, as well as alternatives to incarceration. Beginning with construction and extending through operation and reentry, the costs of solitary confinement substantially outpace those of typical incarceration. Estimates suggest that housing an individual in solitary confinement can cost up to three times more than incarceration in the general prison population. Additionally, there are many indirect, or hidden, costs of solitary confinement, including medical care and re-incarceration.”

The first fact sheet in the series addresses “Racism and Solitary Confinement,” while the second covers the often overlooked “Collateral Consequences of Solitary Confinement.” The third in the series documents the “Psychological Effect of Solitary Confinement,” the fourth challenges misconceptions about “Solitary Confinement and Prison Safety,” the fifth explores “Solitary Confinement and the Brain: The Neurological Effects,” and the sixth addresses “Solitary Confinement and Prison Oversight.” The seventh fact sheet covers “Children in Solitary Confinement,” the eighth is on “Women in Solitary Confinement,” and the ninth documents the growing us of “Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention.” “Prison Activism” is the tenth fact sheet, detailing the use of solitary as a deterrent and a punishment for ‘stepping out of line’—also known as advocating for one’s own civil rights.

Upcoming entries in the fact sheet series will cover the specific impacts of solitary on LGBTQ+ individuals, on people with death sentences, on Muslims accused or convicted of terrorism-related offenses, and on people with physical and sensory disabilities. All existing fact sheets can be found together on this page.

Fact sheets are designed to be accessed online and also printed out and copied for use by educators, advocates, policymakers, and others.