Michael Corbin

8-1-12: Solitary Confinement

Recent reports have detailed the devastating effects on prisoners of long-term solitary confinement, even questioning whether it rises to the

Sheilah asked Michael Corbin about the history of solitary confinement. It goes back to the early 19th Century, at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. This account includes the differing reactions of Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Dickens.

Corbin on solitary confinement history

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Tuesday February 21, 1 - 2 pm: The City that Became Safe

How did New York City soar ahead of Baltimore in reducing per capita violent crime? Our guests are Franklin Zimring, author of “The City that Became Safe: New York’s Lessons for Urban Crime and its Control,” and Michael Corbin, author of this piece from Baltimore City Paper and several other articles on crime in the city.