The topic of solitary confinement was the focus of a recent episode of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight on HBO. Thanks to the hard work of activists organizing against solitary confinement for decades, awareness of the brutality of this practice has begun to enter the mainstream. Its history as a counterinsurgency tactic, however, has yet to be fully examined in the light of day. TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez joins Rattling the Bars to speak with Mansa Musa, who spent 48 years behind bars himself, a number of which were spent in solitary, to discuss the cruel truths about solitary confinement that people on the outside need to know but rarely hear about.

Report: Time-In-Cell: A 2021 Snapshot of Restrictive Housing Based on a Nationwide Survey of U.S. Prison Systems
https://law.yale.edu/centers-workshops/arthur-liman-center-public-interest-law/liman-center-publications/time-cell-2021

Link to John Oliver’s episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uSZwErdH3I

Studio Production: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino

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29 thoughts on “48-year political prisoner reviews John Oliver’s report on solitary confinement | Rattling the Bars”
  1. Mansa Musa was a red haired light skinned middle eastern looking Aryan. Still African obviously, but after researching the topic extensively I like to clarify this when relevant. There are just a lot of people who aren't aware that Mansa Musa and the prophet Muhammad were both red haired and "white" by today's standard.

  2. As someone who spent 15 days in jail last summer, each day sucks. I can only imagine years and years. My thoughts n prayers to this man as well as everyone still locked up in his shoes

    Edit: we need to end the failed “war on drugs” because it fuels the prison industrial complex

  3. He is telling how tort come s and hanging around th3dyung recruiter cy Borg. Gets yo7r polole officer as the new hang mann in paren patre. Wait till they call you a saltine

  4. Been there,so I know what its like. What help me was I was allowed books,art supplies. For a while i didnt mind it,cuz I hated being in gen pop,with all the nut cases.

  5. You can go to the hole for catching 3 minor infractions. Non violent after you do your time go in front staff hearing. Court within the prison run and judged by staff. Right off the jump inmate not getting a fair deal.

  6. In the 90s I was sent to a max security prison. In Washington State for 48 months. In that time I ended up going to the hole only once. Spent 4 days before i had a hearing with the staff. 24 hr get one hour out. Either make a call or go to 4 wall iso cube all you see is sunlight to exercise. Solitary confinement is the loudest noisest area of the penitentiary. Everyone fishing for what i dont know. Prison takes all your stuff when they put you in there. Nothing to read. Lots of pushups roll your mat up use it as a curl bar. You cant let it break you. It can I only did 4 days returning to gen pop. Im thankful I got myself off paper. No excuese for the cops courts probation jails or prison. To violate me for anything.

  7. We live in a country that creates prisoners in the name of profit and social control, it's 21st century slavery. To know that solitary confinement is used so often for such small offenses, especially when so many prisoners are non violent offenders, is both heartbreaking and infuriating. Our current President is the archtiect of the crime bill that makes all of this possible. Even worse, history teaches us that anyone with any bit of political power who attempts to do anything to set us all free is murdered and their killers never see a day behind bars or concrete walls without windows. I truly hate this timeline.

  8. I'm going through the same shit but I'm on the outs… They just hate me and are trying to keep me neglected and shunned .. Strong arming me straight out of life itself

  9. Can't stand John Oliver. Violent criminals who scar innocent people for life just get a time out at the tax payer's expense? That's not justice. Why is there this new push to give violent criminals more rights than law abiding citizens?

  10. America has the highest number of people incarcerated in the entire world,now that’s incredible in a so called civilised society

  11. So much I could say here, but I digress. Suffice it to say that in my case, I not only didn’t know when I’d get out, but there was only one small window in the door through which my only view was of a wall across the hall that was artificially lit so there was no way to know whether it was day or night; and I didn’t have a deck of cards, or any other means of occupying my time. It was a virtual hell and I was sent there for a triviality. Those who are currently in this situation definitely have my empathy!

  12. We used to do the same to political prisioners during the 48 years of fascist state in Portugal. It ended with our Revolution in 1974.

  13. Solitary confinement is the ultimate monopoly. To protest publish MONOPOLY on so-called sovereign money.

    Remember, a statement of sovereignty is not secular.

    End Global Apartheid.

  14. What Horrifying Crime deserves Solitary confinement While many hardened Criminals are allowed to run free commiting horrific Crimes Against Humanity Too Many are being Imprisoned in U$@, Inc in the first place highest in the World WHY For Profit$ So this is America Veritas

  15. Just from John Oliver's example of Solitary Confinement, I have to believe a lot of Inmates come out of Prison suffering PTSD.

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