A Cell of One’s Own: A Judge’s Personal Reflection on Solitary Confinement

OPEN MINDS, The Behavioral Health & Social Service Industry Analyst Cover Story In August, New York Governor George Pataki vetoed a bill that would have prevented mentally ill prisoners from being placed in solitary confinement. More than a decade ago, as a judge, I would have been concerned with the legal implications of the treatment of prisoners diagnosed as mentally ill, but my concern is more personal now. You see, in 1993, I pleaded guilty to harassment, was found to be suffering from bipolar disorder and was sentenced to serve 15 months in a mental health unit of a federal . . .