Human Rights Watch (HRW) has documented five instances of sleep deprivation through constant lighting – involving prisoners on self-harm watch – at Adelaide Women’s Prison’s solitary D-Wing.
“They don’t turn off the lights at night — they turn off the big light, but there’s still a light on, so you can’t sleep. It’s the most horrific thing I’ve ever been through,” one detainee, referred to as Tina K, told HRW.
Guards sent Tina K to solitary confinement because she was emotional and crying when she arrived at Adelaide Women’s Prison, while her daughter was in labour, HRW said in They Just Locked Me Away, a 2 November report into South Australian (SA) prisons.
HRW’s documented instances of sleep deprivation happened in the context of self-harm prevention monitoring, the group told Lithos on 2 November. HRW did not determine whether it was a formal practice, Australia Director Daniela Gavshon said.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, and the Department for Correctional Services works closely with [the] SA Prison Health Service (SAPHS) to support the specialist health and disability-related needs of people in custody,” a SA Government spokesperson told Lithos.
The SA Government did not respond to specific questions about lighting-induced sleep deprivation.
HRW has recommended that the SA Government take 18 steps to improve its correctional system. It wants the state to end the solitary confinement of disabled prisoners, ensure detainees can access trauma-related services, and create an independent prison inspectorate.
“The [SA] Government will consider the recommendations [included in HRW’s] report,” a spokesperson said.
SA prison staff can send prisoners to solitary confinement over self-harm concerns. But studies consistently show that solitary confinement severely hurts the mental health of detainees.
In 2015, the US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) found that 22.5% of prisoners who spent one day in solitary confinement reported symptoms of serious psychological distress, compared to 12.8% of those who spent no time in solitary confinement.
SA’s correctional policies deter detainees from reporting mental health concerns and seeking help, according to HRW.
By Avinash Govind