Arkansas Times I Griffen Coop
DecARcerate Arkansas, a nonprofit focused on prisons and justice, has issued a detailed, first-hand account of life inside Arkansas prisons and solitary confinement.
The report is not for the faint of heart.
The digital report, which includes pictures and video as well as vivid descriptions, starts with a disclaimer about its sensitive contents. There are pictures of sheets inmates have used to hang themselves and a description of how long an inmate hanged until officers removed his body. It’s an important, illuminating and evocative look inside the prison system from someone who lives on the inside. The report emphasizes how the inhumane conditions are traumatizing, particularly for inmates who have existing mental health conditions. It cites a 2019 Yale University study that found that 38% of inmates in solitary confinement in Arkansas stay there for more than a year.