Psychiatrists and solitary confinement in US prisons

This article reviews the role of psychiatrists in determining prisoners' suitability for placement in solitary confinement. The task poses ethical challenges to psychiatrists, who may be asked to participate in dehumanising and unjust administrative procedures as part of their professional role in the prison system. The author describes her personal experience as a prison psychiatrist earlier in her career, using a conceptual framework articulated by the legal scholar Robert Cover to navigate the decision of whether to participate in the prison's solitary confinement scheme.