Confinement Quote by Cecily McMillan
“I would like to start a discussion about ending solitary confinement. I'd like to start a discussion about the removal of MO wings - an "MO" is a "Mental Observation" inmate - from Rikers Island, to be set up in mental health institutions. You can't put people in jail for having mental disorders.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Advocacy statement, 2023, New York Prison Reform Forum
Advocating for mental health‑focused alternatives to solitary confinement and specialized units in prisons.
In simple terms: Replace punitive isolation with treatment for mentally ill inmates.
Key Takeaway
Promote humane, therapeutic incarceration.
Themes
justice reform
mental health
prison conditions
human rights
Mood
concerned
hopeful
Type
policy
advocacy
When to use this quote
- legislative hearings
- prison staff training
- community mental health referrals
Key Concepts
deinstitutionalization
rehabilitation
policy change
Questions to Reflect On
- How can society balance safety with humane treatment?
- What models successfully replace solitary confinement?
A Different Perspective
Implementation costs and public safety concerns may arise.
![“[Solitary confinement] is terrible. That is terrible. You're in a grave. You can't do anything. Everything's brought to you and you're in a room all day, except to come out of the showers. So when I would come out, I would entertain myself by singing, doing little mock concerts. And then when I…” quote by Megan Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/115/megan-sweeney-180683_incarcerated-women_solitary-confinement-is-terrible-that-is_740216.jpg)
![“The [human] animal cannot cope with [dense confinement]; indeed, it is programmed to resist it. It must resist it, in the interest of survival.” quote by John Livingston, from "Rogue Primate: An Investigation Into Human Domestication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85c/john-livingston-from-rogue-pri_animal_the-human-animal-cannot-cope-with-dense_142766.jpg)
![“During this period (of technological confinement / [and language]) the human mind has been placed in its narrowest confines it has experienced since consciousness emerged from its Paleolithic phase. Even the most primitive tribes have a larger vision of the universe, of our place and functioning…” quote by Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/64a/thomas-berry-7391_celestial_during-this-period-of-technological-conf_237540.jpg)
