Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 What is the Sourcebook about? 1 1.2 How is the Sourcebook structured? 1 1.3 Definition: what constitutes solitary confinement? 2 1.4 Brief historic context 2 1.5 Legal and regulatory framework 3 2 The health effects of solitary confinement 9 2.1 Introduction 9 2.2 The health effects of solitary confinement: a brief review of the literature and prisoners’ accounts 10 2.3 The negative health effects of solitary confinement: reported symptoms 15 2.4 What makes solitary confinement harmful? 17 2.5 The duration of solitary confinement 21 2.6 Sequelae of isolation: the lasting effects of solitary confinement 22 2.7 Concluding remarks about the effects of solitary confinement 23 3 The decision to place prisoners and detainees in solitary confinement 25 3.1 When and why are prisoners and detainees placed in solitary confinement? 25 3.2 Placement in solitary confinement: procedural safeguards, and special provisions and recommendations regarding the isolation of specific categories of prisoners 28 3.3 The human rights position and case law regarding the placement of prisoners in solitary confinement 33