The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode: The Solitary Solution
Date: January 28, 2016
Host: Dorothy Wickenden
Guest: Jennifer Gonnerman (New Yorker Staff Writer)

Overview

This episode examines President Obama’s 2016 executive action to end the use of solitary confinement on juveniles, the mentally ill, and minor offenders in federal prisons. Host Dorothy Wickenden and journalist Jennifer Gonnerman explore the widespread use and psychological effects of solitary confinement, its history in American prisons, the slow pace of reform, and the personal impact evidenced in the tragic case of Kalief Browder. The conversation situates solitary within the broader debate over mass incarceration and penal reform in the United States.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Obama’s Executive Action on Solitary Confinement

[01:39 – 02:25]

• Wickenden: Introduces Obama’s recent ban on solitary for certain categories in federal prisons.
• Gonnerman:
  • Notes the affected population is comparatively small, as most U.S. prisoners are in state prisons, not federal.
  • Still, Obama’s move was “almost radical,” raising public attention after years of political silence, setting a new precedent.

Quote:

“I think it was more than a gesture...almost radical...to call attention to a problem that has become so pervasive and yet so ignored by, you know, presidents in the past.”
— Jennifer Gonnerman [02:25]

2. The Human Cost: Kalief Browder’s Story

[02:44 – 04:02]

• Wickenden: Recalls Obama referencing Kalief Browder, a young man who spent nearly two years in solitary at Rikers Island pretrial.
• Gonnerman:
  • Details her interviews with Browder and describes his visible suffering post-release—physical pain, psychological trauma, insomnia, and loneliness.
  • Brutal sensory deprivation:
    • “The boredom, the screaming of mentally ill inmates…woken at five or six in the morning by airplanes overhead...the incredible heat in the summer, no air conditioning, obviously, and not even a fan. So it just sounded absolutely excruciating.” [03:42]

3. The Psychological Effects and History of Solitary

[04:02 – 05:16]

• Solitary’s mental health effects (suicide risk, lifelong trauma) have been well documented for decades.
• Wickenden: Surprised that solitary began as a reform meant to prompt self-reflection and repentance, not punishment.
• Major early 20th-century reform efforts (e.g., Thomas Mott Osborne’s work after going undercover as an inmate), but U.S. penal practices became increasingly punitive.

4. Solitary as a Tool of Prison Control

[05:16 – 05:59]

• As incarceration rates climbed in the 1980s-90s, solitary became a favored management strategy—"a way to maintain control in a seemingly uncontrollable environment."
• Gonnerman laments both the lack of data and the absence of outside scrutiny or accountability:

  “There's nobody really watching...nobody was really counting how many people were in solitary confinement.” [05:39]

5. Institutional Violence and Lack of Accountability

[05:59 – 07:10]

• An infamous video shows a correction officer violently removing Kalief from his solitary cell—a key piece of evidence Kalief sought to secure.
• The broader point: Abuses often go unpunished, even when captured on camera.

Quote:

“The date had stuck in his mind, not because it was the worst thing that happened to him...but because it was so brazen. All the prisoners know where the cameras are...he knew nothing would have happened to [the officer], and he felt free to be abusive in that way.”
— Jennifer Gonnerman [06:38]

6. Aftermath and Personal Toll

[07:10 – 08:14]

• Describes Kalief’s disappearance into a psychiatric ward post-release—his family and lawyers were unaware of his whereabouts for days.
• After some recovery, he returned to college, but eventually relapsed and tragically died by suicide.

7. The International Comparison and Reform Efforts

[08:58 – 10:13]

• U.S. is an outlier in its extensive use of solitary.
• Other countries (UK, Germany) have moved away from the practice, opting for shorter isolation periods and more rehabilitative measures.
• U.S. prison officials increasingly look abroad for alternative approaches.

8. State and Local-Level Reforms

[09:53 – 10:46]

• Some progress at the state/city level:
  • California, New Mexico, New York have enacted reforms due to lawsuits and advocacy.
  • NYC Mayor de Blasio placed new limits on solitary for those under 21.
• Notably, Obama’s move appeared driven by conscience, not legal compulsion.

9. Shifts in the Legal Landscape

[10:46 – 11:22]

• Supreme Court ruling: Prisoners under 18 sentenced to life without parole can now request release—a significant step in juvenile justice reform.

Quote:

“It's really sort of an extraordinary moment in terms of a much needed sort of reassessment of our priorities in terms of the criminal justice system.”
— Jennifer Gonnerman [11:18]

10. Mass Incarceration and Political Will

[11:22 – 12:37]

• Bill Clinton’s public repudiation of 1990s-era “tough on crime” legislation signaled a bipartisan shift in attitudes on mass incarceration.
• Gonnerman notes the term “mass incarceration” is now common parlance, reflecting progress in public awareness, though political and policy action remains inconsistent.
• Hopes further discussion will influence upcoming election cycles, especially among Democrats.

Quote:

“We're not doing enough to rehabilitate the ones we can rehabilitate. We're wasting too much money locking people up that don't need to be there...any policy...that contributed to it should be changed.”
— Bill Clinton [11:46]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On solitary’s psychological toll:

  “From almost the beginning, there was a realization that it had sort of devastating psychological effects.”
  — Jennifer Gonnerman [04:20]

• On political significance:

  “No president has ever even raised the issue of solitary confinement.”
  — Dorothy Wickenden [02:44]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Obama’s announcement & context – [01:27 – 02:44]
• Kalief Browder’s story – [02:44 – 05:16]
• Solitary’s history & reform setbacks – [04:30 – 05:16]
• Solitary as a management tool – [05:16 – 05:59]
• The violence in solitary & accountability – [05:59 – 07:10]
• Browder’s life post-release – [07:10 – 08:14]
• International reform models – [08:58 – 10:13]
• State & local reforms – [09:53 – 10:46]
• Supreme Court juvenile justice ruling – [10:46 – 11:22]
• Mass incarceration in politics – [11:22 – 12:37]

Tone and Style

The episode is somber, reflective, and deeply personal, especially in recounting Kalief Browder’s experience. Both Wickenden and Gonnerman speak in thoughtful, measured tones, focusing on systemic issues but grounding the discussion in individual human suffering and the urgency for reform.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking a comprehensive and insightful recap of The Political Scene’s ‘The Solitary Solution’ episode on solitary confinement, criminal justice reform, and mass incarceration.