Spencer P.M. Harrington

About the author: Spencer P.M. Harrington is a freelance writer. He attended the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and wrote this article with the support of a grant from the Dick Goldensohn Fund, which promotes investigative journalism.

Many prisons have created supermax units that include long-term solitary confinement and harsh conditions to control problem prisoners. Research has shown, however, that such confinement can cause psychosis in a sane prisoner, and greatly exacerbate problems in already mentally ill prisoners. Some prisoners are being released into society straight from these "supermax" prisons, and this poses a threat to public safety.

Asteel door separates the Department Disciplinary Unit from the rest of the prison of Walpole, Massachusetts. Inmates confined in the DDU are considered management problems by staff. It is...