The UN Special Report on Torture has denounced the use of solitary confinement beyond 15 days as a form of cruel and degrading treatment that often rises to the level of torture. Yet the United States holds more than 80,000 people in isolation on any given day. Now, for the first time, the founders of Solitary Watch have collected a dozen first-hand accounts of life in solitary confinement. These first-hand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical and political dimensions of solitary confinement.