ABSTRACT

Rectify tells the story of Daniel Holden, a man who is released from prison after nineteen years in solitary confinement when DNA evidence calls his conviction into question. The show’s four seasons follow Daniel’s reentry over just four months, asking the viewer to identify with a character whose guilt or innocence is constantly and purposefully ambiguous. This chapter examines the fallibility of memory—especially within the context of the oppressive and traumatic impact of solitary confinement. Engaging in a study of the background of this practice, this chapter also examines Daniel’s “social death”—or the state of being considered somehow less than fully human—after having been removed from meaningful social interaction for almost two decades.