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Show U.S. needs to stop using solitary confinement UTAH SHOULD FOLLOW KANSAS ON WELFARE LEGISLATION n any given day, about 80,000 AmeriJONATHAN can prisoners are being held in solitary confinement. 25,000 of these inmates are sequestered in supermax security prisons, where they will remain without any significant human contact for years, decades or, for some, the rest of their lives. Regardless of how long each inmate actually spends in solitary, research indicates that the majority of them will experience a sort of time warp. This phenomenon is one of a plethora of psychological consequences that come about as a result of extended isolation. We should give some serious thought to the ramifications of seclusion, and adjust our policies regarding solitary confinement accordingly. In 1961, French geologist Michel Siffre spent two long months studying and living in an underground glacier. His team discovered that it took him about five minutes to count to what he perceived to be 120 seconds. Siffre's subjective sense of time had slowed down by about 40 percent after being alone for only two months. Additional anecdotal stories and scientific PARK studies have demonstrated that this time-slowing sensation is pretty common among people who are subjected to prolonged periods of solitude. Studies have proven time and again that people go insane when they are deprived of social interaction. Our brains release a cascade of stress signals, desperately imploring us to seek stimulation. Many evolutionary biologists believe that this response developed in order to prevent us from straying from the group, as doing so severely diminished our chances for survival. We need other people to confirm our own existence and to verify the authenticity of our experiences. An experiment conducted at the McGill University Medical Center in Montreal revealed that the majority of participants began experiencing psychedelic hallucinations after less than a day of stimulation deprivation. Volunteers started seeing some unbelievably strange things, from a dizzying array of illuminated dots suspended in mid-air to an endless line of squirrels marching by with sacks slung over their shoulders. While it might sound like fun to watch reality melt away before your eyes, it was traumatic for most of the volunteers and the experiment had to be cut short. Though it was initially scheduled to run for a couple of weeks, none of the participants were able to last more than a few days. A few similar experiments have been conducted and the results have been the same: participants became highly distressed, then irrationally paranoid and then they began hallucinating. Those who made it past that point began pleading desperately to be released from the experiments. That sounds an awful lot like psychological torture if you ask me, and as such, it should not be a lawful form of punishment. Not only does solitary confinement inflict mental anguish on individuals, but it also produces unnecessary risks for society at large. It seems counterintuitive to take a convicted criminal, drive them crazy and then release them back into the world with the expectation that they've learned their lesson and will get their act together. It is an unacceptable form of punishment because it is clearly cruel and unusual, and it is an ineffective form of rehabilitation because it adds an extra dose of mental and emotional instability to the list of problems that the inmate had before they entered the prison system. Solitary confinement doesn't align with the stated goals of the prison system, and while we stand to lose the minds of hundreds of thousands of our incarcerated citizens if the practice continues, we have nothing to lose from its abolishment letters@chronicle.utah.edu hen I was 11 years old, my Dad decided to raise my weekly allowance from $5 to $10, even though my responsibilities didn't increase and quite frankly, I didn't deserve it. I celebrated my good fortune by spending my entire allowance on candy and baseball cards in one financially catastrophic afternoon. When my Dad found out about my spending spree he was furious and immediately rescinded my raise until I could learn to be more financially responsible. While harsh, it proved to be a valuable lesson about being financially responsible — a lesson that the state of Kansas is trying to pass on to its welfare recipients. Kansas is set to pass a law that would affect the taxpayerfunded Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which currently gives a family of four nearly $497 per month. The program was designed to provide temporary assistance to families in need, with the intent being that the money would be used to pay rent and to buy groceries and other necessities. The proposed law, which has already been approved by both houses of the Republican-controlled legislature, would prevent W those on the program from spending money on items and services that aren't considered a necessity. For example, the new law would forbid taxpayer funds from being spent on things like alcoholic beverages, tattoo parlors, casinos, nail salons, vapor cigarette stores and even movie theaters. While it's unclear exactly how this new law will be regulated, one of the new provisions will only allow recipients to withdraw $25 a day from an ATM. It would also require welfare recipients to take part in job training programs as well as reducing the total number of months they can be on welfare from 48 to 36. Critics say it is impossible to enforce restrictions on the use of these funds, and the restrictions serve to embarrass those on welfare. They are right—it is nearly impossible to regulate and it does cause embarrassment. I was humiliated when my Dad reduced my allowance as a result of my frivolous spending. But the end result was that it taught me to be more responsible in my spending. This is exactly what I believe the state of Kansas is trying to achieve. It doesn't matter that it will be difficult to regulate or that it may be embarrassing or inconvenient — what the new law is trying to do is grounded in principle. It's delivering a reminder to recipients that public assistance is only to be used for necessities and is not designed to support an impractical lifestyle. Rather, it's designed to help keep those in need afloat with the bare necessities until they can find a job. Kansas is absolutely on the right path in how they are choosing to try and regulate welfare with their new law by not only telling recipients that the money should be spent on the necessities but by requiring that they take part in job training programs as well. Although it may seem harsh to some, the mentality surrounding welfare needs to be about moving away from feeding dependent individuals for a day and instead training them to feed themselves for a lifetime. letters@chronicle.utah.edu 07/11/UTAH CHRONICLE INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING OF BEST PICTURE mns 1.1 Just give me your honest opinion. DEMY AWARD' WINNER RUSSELL CROWE You only need one reason to donate plasma. THE WATER DIVINER INSPIRED BY WARNE II IIIIOS 111:111111S.10.11`AC 1till1110 rr Find out how becoming a plasma donor can make a difference for patients and help you earn extra money. 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