The use of solitary confinement and in-custody mortality in North Carolina State Prisons, 2021-2023.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Solitary confinement is associated with increased mortality post-release. Little is known about its use following recent reforms and COVID-19 challenges, and its association with in-custody deaths. We investigated patterns of and associations between solitary confinement and mortality in North Carolina (NC) state prisons.

Methods

Using weekly housing data from Disability Rights NC, we created a retrospective cohort of those newly incarcerated in NC prisons between 2021 and 2023. We calculated the weekly proportion of individuals experiencing solitary confinement for 2+ weeks by type (e.g., administrative purposes). We calculated all-cause mortality rates stratified by those who did and did not experience solitary confinement.

Results

Nearly one-quarter of 41,5

SUBMITTER: LeMasters K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12523794 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature