The "Prison within a Prison" as a Barrier to Freedom: Racial Disparities in Solitary Confinement in Michigan Prisons.

Solitary confinement represents a lack of freedom within prison, and missing one's earliest release date (ERD) represents a lack of freedom from imprisonment. Using a community-based interdisciplinary model, we studied correlations between both of these measures and race. We did so by utilizing python script to create a unique database that unites Michigan Department of Corrections administrative data, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, and data publicly available through the Offender Tracking Information System. Using logistic regression analyses, we found that (a) black prisoners had a higher chance of being in solitary confinement than white prisoners; (b) those who experienced solitary confinement had a higher chance of missing their ERD than other prisoners; and (c) black prisoners had a higher chance of missing their ERD than whites. The findings suggest serious implications for how racial disparities in the use of solitary confinement could exacerbate social inequities for black communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]