January 2017
Keramet Reiter, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, is referenced in The Huffington Post for her research on the harmful effects of solitary confinement in American jails, most notably in her book 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement. By citing her research, the article goes into detail as to why mental illness is prevalent in jails and prisons, and implores policy makers and administrative officials to address this issue.
From The Huffington Post:
But isolation is still regularly used in American jails and prisons. According to University of California-Irvine, School of Law professor Keramet Reiter in her book 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement, more than 400,000 prisoners experience isolation each year. Thirty-three to 50 percent of those prisoners in isolation suffer from a serious mental illness. And the data suggests that at least 50 percent of all prisoner suicides take place in isolation, despite holding a fraction of the incarcerated population.