Chapter 16: Social Death and Its Afterlives

Lisa Guenther contemplates solitary confinement—historically, socially, and philosophically

guenther_solitary coverNashville author Lisa Guenther, an associate professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, studies penal issues in the U.S., and her own involvement with the prison system—facilitating a weekly discussion group at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville—has given her a close-up view of prison life and the effects of solitary confinement in particular. In her new book, Solitary Confinement: Social Death and Its Afterlives, Guenther gives an historical overview of solitary confinement in the U.S. and discusses theories concerning its use, the role of race in its application, the treatment of animals in factory farms, and everything else that could possibly relate to a consideration of solitary confinement. This book is a comprehensive treatment of the subject.

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Published in: Chapter 16
By: Ralph Bowden