ABSTRACT

Across the United States, prison administrators are seeking alternatives to long-term restrictive housing as its use has come under numerous challenges, including its inhumane treatment of prisoners. The movement to alternatives in long-term restrictive housing creates the need for a philosophical change in correctional administration, officer training, parole board reviews, and the general public. Many offenders currently in long-term restrictive housing will be released into the general prison population, and then into society, and they need resocialization skills to address the negative effects of solitary confinement. This chapter explores barriers incarcerated offenders must overcome after leaving restrictive housing units in state and federal prisons.