Isolation in Scottish prisons: what does it mean to be alone inside? A socio-legal analysis

Abstract

This thesis is a study of isolation in Scottish prisons. The research is approached through a socio-legal lens, which aims at bridging the language of international norms (with respect to questions such as solitary confinement and “meaningful human contact”) with prisoners’ accounts of the isolating aspects of confinement. This interdisciplinary study seeks to clarify the complex and manifold ways isolation is experienced in the carceral setting (whether termed “isolation”, “segregation”, “separation” or “solitary confinement”).

Having considered the international and domestic legal frameworks, the research focus shifts to prisoners’ accounts of their experiences of isolation.

As a result of the challenges posed by Covid-19, letter-writing was adopted as a means of inquiry to explore the meaning of isolation. This was achieved by way of a correspondence project with 26 participants over a period of over 12 months. Features of letter-writing as a means of inquiry are identified as especially apposite to the carceral context, including elements of storytelling and catharsis. The ongoing effects of Covid-19 also arose.

The findings explore different aspects of isolation, initially focusing on the forms it takes in prison, including where it is experienced most and whether time affects the experience itself. The next stage identifies situational and personal factors that affect prisoners’ experiences of isolation, including: offence and sentence types, sexuality and gender identity, neurodiversity, and mental and physical health. These factors tended to increase the marginalisation of prisoners, furthering their isolation. The study then moves on to explore the feelings provoked by isolation, including the relationship between loneliness, solitude and aloneness, alongside the coping mechanisms adopted by prisoners as survival strategies.

The final element considered in this study is the significance of “meaningful human contact” for prisoners in light of the international definition of solitary confinement.

The study demonstrates the challenges posed by the language of international legal norms in the carceral context and provides insight – via prisoners’ accounts – into the understanding of isolation and how it is experienced by prisoners.