Wack new Solitary Confinement tv show April shows streaming video of experiment volunteers and live tweets, highlighting actual psychological effects and claustrophobic isolation of life in an 8 foot prison cell.
"Alone in a cell for years or even decades, more than 80,000 Americans are estimated to be in solitary confinement. Cut off from human contact in an 8 x 10 cell, some say solitary is the only way for correctional officers to safely handle the worst prisoners, but others claim it amounts to psychological torture. In an age where we are all hyper-connected, where rapid fire inter-personal communications are routine, what's it like to be suddenly cut off from social contact and experience the claustrophobic isolation of Solitary Confinement?
On April 2nd, three volunteers will open a window into that experience when they occupy recreations of solitary cells constructed in the greater Washington DC area for up to one week. They will inhabit 80 square foot "cells" with a sink, toilet, bed, desk and chair. Initially the contents of each cell will replicate the "lowest level" of solitary in many prisons — no TV, no computer or reading material, and minimal human contact — meals are served through a slot in the door; participants are allowed daily one hour of solitary exercise and a brief shower. Their experiences will be shared in real time via outgoing Tweets (they will receive no incoming communications) while a camera in each cell will stream 24/7.
This is not meant to be an authentic replication of punitive Solitary Confinement, with one profound departure being that each volunteering participant stays as long as they choose, up to one week, and can opt out anytime. The intention is to provide an "everyman" perspective specifically into the experience of social and claustrophobic isolation that are key hallmarks of solitary confinement. The goal is to spark greater conversation on this widely used and controversial penal practice as a complement to the April 11 premiere of Explorer: Solitary Confinement on the National Geographic Channel."