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23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement
How America’s prisons turned a “brutal and inhumane” practice into standard procedure
Originally meant to be brief and exceptional, solitary confinement in U.S. prisons has become long-term and common. Prisoners spend twenty-three hours a day in featureless cells, with no visitors or human contact for years on end, and they are held entirely at administrators’ discretion. Keramet Reiter tells the history of one “supermax,” California’s Pelican Bay State Prison, whose extreme conditions recently sparked a statewide hunger strike by 30,000 prisoners. This book describes how Pelican Bay was created without legislative oversight, in fearful response to 1970s radicals; how easily prisoners slip into solitary; and the mental havoc and social costs of years and decades in isolation. The product of fifteen years of research in and about prisons, this book provides essential background to a subject now drawing national attention.
Originally meant to be brief and exceptional, solitary confinement in U.S. prisons has become long-term and common. Prisoners spend twenty-three hours a day in featureless cells, with no visitors or human contact for years on end, and they are held entirely at administrators’ discretion. Keramet Reiter tells the history of one “supermax,” California’s Pelican Bay State Prison, whose extreme conditions recently sparked a statewide hunger strike by 30,000 prisoners. This book describes how Pelican Bay was created without legislative oversight, in fearful response to 1970s radicals; how easily prisoners slip into solitary; and the mental havoc and social costs of years and decades in isolation. The product of fifteen years of research in and about prisons, this book provides essential background to a subject now drawing national attention.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2016
23 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Keramet Reiter
7 books12 followersKeramet Reiter is the author of 23/7, the first comprehensive history of the origins of the modern supermax prison, and the co-editor of the Extreme Punishment anthology. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society and at the School of Law at the University of California, Irvine. She has taught in prison education programs, worked at Human Rights Watch, and testified about the impacts of solitary confinement before state and federal legislators. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 20, 2017
Powerful and extensively detailed
I've gotten involved with Defy Ventures in the past year. As part of this, I am planning to go to Pelican Bay this year. This book helped me understand the background of why Pelican Bay and the SHU exist in the first place. More importantly, it helped me have context on the people incarcerated at the SHU. It's really well written and a must read for anyone engaging in any type,of activity to be helpful around the criminal justice system.
I've gotten involved with Defy Ventures in the past year. As part of this, I am planning to go to Pelican Bay this year. This book helped me understand the background of why Pelican Bay and the SHU exist in the first place. More importantly, it helped me have context on the people incarcerated at the SHU. It's really well written and a must read for anyone engaging in any type,of activity to be helpful around the criminal justice system.
July 13, 2024
Amazing review of what the solitary confinement process is like. I loved the implementation of personal stories of people that have lived through it. Overall I thought it was a great mix of history and anecdotes that added to the purpose of the book
April 18, 2018
Never once does the author answer the question of how prisons should deal with inmates who assault and murder other prisoners or guards.
Unfortunately, this book has little to do with solitary confinement, or at least not enough. This book does not focus at all on the effects of long-term confinement.
For examples of how our prison system has completely gone off the rails—and most agree that it has—she uses two cases which lack empathy. One is a Aryan prison gang member who murdered another inmate in his cell while serving in a supermax. It seems completely obvious that he was guilty of committing murder for hire at the bequest of his gang. This is precisely the sort of prisoner for whom solitary confinement was created in the first place.
Her other example is George Jackson, probably unfairly sentenced to an unspecific number of years behind bars which basically turned into a life sentence. She is very careful to throw in “allegedly” when talking about the crimes of her examples yet she says Jackson was “murdered” while attempting an escape in which several people were killed or injured.
Her inconsistencies and failure to remain focused on the main theme undermine the entire effort. I think she was just trying to fill a book with all of her experiences, whether they were germane to the project or not.
There was some good information in the book, especially about how most things relating to the treatment of prisoners is completely at the whim of prison officials and not our criminal legal system..
Unfortunately, this book has little to do with solitary confinement, or at least not enough. This book does not focus at all on the effects of long-term confinement.
For examples of how our prison system has completely gone off the rails—and most agree that it has—she uses two cases which lack empathy. One is a Aryan prison gang member who murdered another inmate in his cell while serving in a supermax. It seems completely obvious that he was guilty of committing murder for hire at the bequest of his gang. This is precisely the sort of prisoner for whom solitary confinement was created in the first place.
Her other example is George Jackson, probably unfairly sentenced to an unspecific number of years behind bars which basically turned into a life sentence. She is very careful to throw in “allegedly” when talking about the crimes of her examples yet she says Jackson was “murdered” while attempting an escape in which several people were killed or injured.
Her inconsistencies and failure to remain focused on the main theme undermine the entire effort. I think she was just trying to fill a book with all of her experiences, whether they were germane to the project or not.
There was some good information in the book, especially about how most things relating to the treatment of prisoners is completely at the whim of prison officials and not our criminal legal system..
July 19, 2017
I came to this book on the recommendation of an inmate in the California State Prison system with whom I've been corresponding for the past two years. If you're interested in criminal justice reform, or learning about the physical/emotional/psychological effects of solitary confinement (or the "Special Housing Unit"/SHU as it is euphemistically labeled by prison designers), this will be a good read. It is a painstakingly researched book, including a history of what led to the creation of the SHU, going back to the 1970s and the killing of George Jackson. Some of the stories will break your heart; others will give you a bit of hope.
November 11, 2024
The book explores the history of the inhumane punishment known as “solitary housing units” in prisons, although it doesn’t explicitly question whether these units should exist at all until the last few pages of the book— too little, far too late. It’s unthinkable to me that someone who has spent her whole academic career looking so closely at the deep torment of prisons, the way they break families and communities and minds and bodies, the sheer extent of the system’s cruelty, is not an avowed prison abolitionist.
In her first chapter, Reiter concedes that some people might be “so depraved” that it’s justified to permanently remove them from human contact (p. 33) and that she was grateful for the shatterproof glass separating her from one of the incarcerated folks she interviewed, further legitimizing the idea that people are subjected to such tortuous conditions not because the prison system is harmful, but because those subjected to its abuse are. She then admits that she drifted away from prison abolitionists in order to gain access to prisons in furtherance of her academic career and that when called to testify in legislative hearings, her main point was that solitary confinement is “overused,” implying it’s sometimes justified (p. 62). She dislikes the SHU because it fails to distinguish “mad from bad,” (p. 194), reinforcing the idea of deserving versus undeserving incarcerated folks.
Finally, she continuously centers the feelings, analysis, justifications, and self-serving ideas of prison bureaucrats, administrators, guards, officers, and proponents, saying she was happy to see their “shared commitments to public service.” (p287). There are no two sides to torture, something the author has failed to learn in her decades of academic engagement with the subject.
In her first chapter, Reiter concedes that some people might be “so depraved” that it’s justified to permanently remove them from human contact (p. 33) and that she was grateful for the shatterproof glass separating her from one of the incarcerated folks she interviewed, further legitimizing the idea that people are subjected to such tortuous conditions not because the prison system is harmful, but because those subjected to its abuse are. She then admits that she drifted away from prison abolitionists in order to gain access to prisons in furtherance of her academic career and that when called to testify in legislative hearings, her main point was that solitary confinement is “overused,” implying it’s sometimes justified (p. 62). She dislikes the SHU because it fails to distinguish “mad from bad,” (p. 194), reinforcing the idea of deserving versus undeserving incarcerated folks.
Finally, she continuously centers the feelings, analysis, justifications, and self-serving ideas of prison bureaucrats, administrators, guards, officers, and proponents, saying she was happy to see their “shared commitments to public service.” (p287). There are no two sides to torture, something the author has failed to learn in her decades of academic engagement with the subject.
January 17, 2019
I REALLY wanted to like this book, but it lacked a lot of content. Even though it gave you some background on how Pelican Bay and the SHU came about, I just felt it was too statistically out there. The author focused mainly on two individuals. While it gave you a little glimpse on the inside of what these prisoners have endured, I still wish she would've used more inmates' personal experiences. This book does give you some great research ideas and does give you an idea of the life of a prisoner, but I wanted more.
If you do want to read about Solitary Confinement and some perspectives from a few inmates, check out:
Hell is a Very Small Place: Voices of Solitary Confinement- Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, and Sarah Shourd (no endorsement for this book)
I really feel like you get that more personal, in-depth look you want in the life of a solitary confinement prisoner.
I really wanted to write more in this review, but there's only so much you can write about something you didn't really enjoy.
If you do want to read about Solitary Confinement and some perspectives from a few inmates, check out:
Hell is a Very Small Place: Voices of Solitary Confinement- Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, and Sarah Shourd (no endorsement for this book)
I really feel like you get that more personal, in-depth look you want in the life of a solitary confinement prisoner.
I really wanted to write more in this review, but there's only so much you can write about something you didn't really enjoy.
June 2, 2019
Holy sheet. Mass incarceration and solitary confinement are such horrific scars on this country. This book is heart-wrenching, harrowing, educational, and the anecdotes read like the most wrong fiction ever, but unfortunately, it's too true.
March 12, 2022
An excellent description on how a super max prison gets funded and why they are problematic.
January 16, 2023
An incredibly informative read, Reiter does a good job of mixing facts and figures with stories and testimony.
March 1, 2023
Well researched and written. Especially liked how there was self-reflection from the author built into the process--good insight.
January 17, 2025
Horrifying, but excellent
October 21, 2020
The author provides good detail and history regarding CDCR and the evolution of SHUs (Security Housing Units) but the conclusions she draws are incredibly naive. Specifically, she posits that prison violence peaked and declined in the 1970s, resulting in both the creation of SHUs and their subsequent obsolescence. What she does not address or consider, is that the fall in violence may have been caused by the SHUs themselves.
June 2, 2023
A decent book with some problems
February 24, 2020
This book the author takes a look and the solitary confinement of prisoners as she puts it 23 hours a day and the effect it had on them. She also speaks of her time of being at Pelican Bay State Prison in California and how she thinks that some of the days she was there that the fights between inmates were started by the “guards” as she puts it. She also speaks or refers to an incident that happened in 1971 at San Quentin where a prisoner George Jackson tried to escape along with another prisoner. Jackson was shot and killed the other one gave up. That day 3 “guards” and 2 prisoners were killed not by staff, 3 other “guards” were also shot and stabbed but survived. This all happened before Jackson was to go to court for a murder trial for the killing of Officer John Mills. She then speaks about the Attica Prison riot which actually occurred two weeks after this incident, though I do agree that there were similar in that each was voicing living conditions and treatment, I cannot make the jump that Pelican Bay was thought of in 1971 when there were still only 12 prisons in California. The author never once brings up how laws were changed that sent more people to prison, for example, three strikes. The California State legislators changed laws in the early eighties which sent more people to prison, this fact was not addressed.
The author always speaks of “guards” as the problem which I felt like a cop-out. I thought she was right about the length of time someone spends in their cell and some of her other points, but I felt she never took it up with the people that wrote those policies who were higher up than the “guards”, she would always refer to them as such and to inmates differently. Sometimes I felt like she was all about no one should be locked up at all. She never once looked at the gang problem or even the problem with why the department paroles people back to the same neighborhood but they cannot have contact with their friends or they are violated, why not send them back where they will succeed? Her always going back to the Jackson incident from 1971 was a bother to me as well, if she could have really seen what was changed from then she would have seen it had nothing to do with keeping men locked up 23/7 that, that came into effect many, many years later. I wonder if she would take one of these inmates home and have dinner with then in her house if she would feel safe? Interesting thoughts throughout this book. I received this book from Netgalley.com Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
The author always speaks of “guards” as the problem which I felt like a cop-out. I thought she was right about the length of time someone spends in their cell and some of her other points, but I felt she never took it up with the people that wrote those policies who were higher up than the “guards”, she would always refer to them as such and to inmates differently. Sometimes I felt like she was all about no one should be locked up at all. She never once looked at the gang problem or even the problem with why the department paroles people back to the same neighborhood but they cannot have contact with their friends or they are violated, why not send them back where they will succeed? Her always going back to the Jackson incident from 1971 was a bother to me as well, if she could have really seen what was changed from then she would have seen it had nothing to do with keeping men locked up 23/7 that, that came into effect many, many years later. I wonder if she would take one of these inmates home and have dinner with then in her house if she would feel safe? Interesting thoughts throughout this book. I received this book from Netgalley.com Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com
September 16, 2016
“23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary” is informative, well researched and well written. I highly recommend “23/7”, especially if you have an interest in its subject matter. The reading has brought my understanding about prisons, prisoners and solitary confinement to another level.
**ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
good luck
2016 September update.
Something about this book didn’t sit right, so I read it again. My original review stands—well written and all that good stuff. But girlfriend got some serious love/romantic notions about the prisoners she profiles. Below is just one example in a nutshell.
Before Reiter is granted an interview with Carl Larson (who designed Pelican Bay State Prison), he tells her he’ll grant an interview after she’s read: The Story of Rene “Boxer” Enriquez and His Life in the Mexican Mafia (google it).
She doesn’t ask Larson why he made this stipulation, but she gives readers her assumption: “I do not think Carl Larson asked me to read The Black Hand because he bought into this conspiracy theory. Rather, it was the first step Larson’s multiyear effort to educate me about the intensity of the violence in the California prison system, and the fear prison officials experience in the environment.” She also doesn’t tell Larson she’s corresponding with “Boxer”.
And she definitely didn’t describe to Larson a letter she received from “Boxer”, but to her readers she says: “I opened Enriquez’s letter and experienced all those familiar sensations. Then something flitted in front of me, and I jumped. A paper crane had floated from the envelope and landed gracefully on the sidewalk in front of me. It was as if Enriquez were there, shaking my hand via the letter.”
In conclusion: The little snippets like the above (there’s about five) I could’ve done without—there’s no romance in murders, some prisoners and the abolition of SHU, especially when you’re seriously trying to get your point across regarding the latter.
**ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
good luck
2016 September update.
Something about this book didn’t sit right, so I read it again. My original review stands—well written and all that good stuff. But girlfriend got some serious love/romantic notions about the prisoners she profiles. Below is just one example in a nutshell.
Before Reiter is granted an interview with Carl Larson (who designed Pelican Bay State Prison), he tells her he’ll grant an interview after she’s read: The Story of Rene “Boxer” Enriquez and His Life in the Mexican Mafia (google it).
She doesn’t ask Larson why he made this stipulation, but she gives readers her assumption: “I do not think Carl Larson asked me to read The Black Hand because he bought into this conspiracy theory. Rather, it was the first step Larson’s multiyear effort to educate me about the intensity of the violence in the California prison system, and the fear prison officials experience in the environment.” She also doesn’t tell Larson she’s corresponding with “Boxer”.
And she definitely didn’t describe to Larson a letter she received from “Boxer”, but to her readers she says: “I opened Enriquez’s letter and experienced all those familiar sensations. Then something flitted in front of me, and I jumped. A paper crane had floated from the envelope and landed gracefully on the sidewalk in front of me. It was as if Enriquez were there, shaking my hand via the letter.”
In conclusion: The little snippets like the above (there’s about five) I could’ve done without—there’s no romance in murders, some prisoners and the abolition of SHU, especially when you’re seriously trying to get your point across regarding the latter.
November 16, 2017
Alright, so I've just finished the audiobook and I kind of feel like I'm missing something. Only in the last few minutes does she question the necessity of super maxes/isolation, which she's spent hundreds of pages proving unethical and the equivalent of awful dehumanizing torture. Just a brief - maybe we could strive for abolishment, rather than shortening sentences from life to 35 years? Hm... maybe! Or maybe not. That's really bizarre. She only briefly mentions how ridiculous it is to cheer over a sentence of *only* decades.
Also, I wonder why she focused so much on Aryan brotherhood/white supremacist folks? It just seems strange to tie up the story by saying that hey, some Aryan brotherhood member got a shortened sentence, so things really are looking up for *all* prisoners! Just felt strange to overlook the fact that prisoners get extremely different treatment based on race, and probably not a coincidence that she focused on the white gang.
I wouldn't say don't read it - and I'm personally going to re-read it because the audiobook was hard to follow at times - but read it with your own questions in mind, because I'm not sure this book asks/answers sufficient questions.
--
I read it again! It was definitely easier to understand on paper than via audio, at least for me. Honestly, it's a well-written story-based account of the history of jails/prisons/supermaxes in the US and I would definitely recommend it. I think there's more complexity that could be added to the conclusion, but that's not unusual, and it is a short book overall.
Also, I wonder why she focused so much on Aryan brotherhood/white supremacist folks? It just seems strange to tie up the story by saying that hey, some Aryan brotherhood member got a shortened sentence, so things really are looking up for *all* prisoners! Just felt strange to overlook the fact that prisoners get extremely different treatment based on race, and probably not a coincidence that she focused on the white gang.
I wouldn't say don't read it - and I'm personally going to re-read it because the audiobook was hard to follow at times - but read it with your own questions in mind, because I'm not sure this book asks/answers sufficient questions.
--
I read it again! It was definitely easier to understand on paper than via audio, at least for me. Honestly, it's a well-written story-based account of the history of jails/prisons/supermaxes in the US and I would definitely recommend it. I think there's more complexity that could be added to the conclusion, but that's not unusual, and it is a short book overall.
February 4, 2017
A thoughtful analysis of the multiple drivers that created Pelican Bay. The book informs the larger national conversation of the rise of the super-max prison in the USA. Along with a ton of facts, the author profiles the impact on individuals who were confined in those facilities. I have has a couple of conversations with the author prior to reading her book but have to admit I was surprised at the depth of her research and her compassion for the prisoners. An important resource as we struggle to understand what we have done and where we go from here.
October 22, 2016
Wow! Tour de force examination of Pelican Bay, California's Supermax, as well as an examination of mass incarceration, and supermax prisons specifically. Also includes a discussion of the impact of solitary confinement on people's mental health.
More detailed review to come--quick take: read this!
More detailed review to come--quick take: read this!
Read
March 26, 2017Chapters:
A supermax life; The Most Dangerous Prisoners and Policies; constructing the supermax; One Rule at a time; Skeleton Bay; Snitch or Die; "You can't even Imagine there's people "; Another Way Out.
California Pelican Bay State Prison opened in 1989. Windowless, concrete bunker with hundred of cells designed for keeping prisoner in total confinement not for days or weeks but for years. By 2010 more than 500 hundred mean lived in continuous isolation for more that 10 years. Locked up in cells that they could not see out of 23 hours a day, and then given 1 hour in a cage, inside the building. Problem? Not one was held for a specific crime committed inside or outside of the prison. Officially allegedly they were dangerous gang members based on tattoos, books, letters or drawing. No judge or jury ever reviewed the decisions to place people in solitary confinement or how long to keep them in confinement (isolation). this inhumane treatment was found in Mississippi, Illinois, New York, Colorado, New Mexico Maine, Washington as well as California. Author writes about individual prisoners and their experiences as well as the effect of isolation on mentally healthy and mentally ill people. The author's experience as a teacher in prison setting adds insight into prison condition and life in prison.
A supermax life; The Most Dangerous Prisoners and Policies; constructing the supermax; One Rule at a time; Skeleton Bay; Snitch or Die; "You can't even Imagine there's people "; Another Way Out.
California Pelican Bay State Prison opened in 1989. Windowless, concrete bunker with hundred of cells designed for keeping prisoner in total confinement not for days or weeks but for years. By 2010 more than 500 hundred mean lived in continuous isolation for more that 10 years. Locked up in cells that they could not see out of 23 hours a day, and then given 1 hour in a cage, inside the building. Problem? Not one was held for a specific crime committed inside or outside of the prison. Officially allegedly they were dangerous gang members based on tattoos, books, letters or drawing. No judge or jury ever reviewed the decisions to place people in solitary confinement or how long to keep them in confinement (isolation). this inhumane treatment was found in Mississippi, Illinois, New York, Colorado, New Mexico Maine, Washington as well as California. Author writes about individual prisoners and their experiences as well as the effect of isolation on mentally healthy and mentally ill people. The author's experience as a teacher in prison setting adds insight into prison condition and life in prison.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews