There are about 2.2 million people who are incarcerated in the United States, many more than are imprisoned anywhere else in the world, equal to the combined prison population of both China and Russia.
In a new book, a law professor from California writes about the more than 81,000 inmates who are kept in isolation from other prisoners, with almost no access to sunlight, activities, or other human beings. These are the people imprisoned in a “SHU,” the Security Housing Unit. They are there for a variety of reasons, and some of them are kept there for years, even decades at a time. Author and criminal justice scholar Keramet Reiter’s new book examines the reasons that so many people are kept completely segregated while in prison. It’s called 23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement. Keramet Reiter is Tom's sole guest for the show, and we invite listeners to join their conversation.
Keramet Reiter will be discussing her book at Red Emma's Bookstore & Coffeehouse Friday night at 7:30pm. Details and directions here.
Tom closes the show today with a special musical appreciation of Leonard Cohen, the legendary Canadian-born poet, songwriter and singer who died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 82.
