Dr. Terry Kupers: The Psychological Cost of Solitary Confinement

Keith Rovere sits down with renowned psychiatrist and prison mental-health expert Dr. Terry Kupers to examine the psychological cost of solitary confinement.Dr. Kupers has spent decades working inside prisons and studying the mental health effects of isolation. Together, we discuss how solitary confinement impacts the human brain, why it often worsens mental illness, and what happens when isolation becomes a form of psychological punishment rather than rehabilitation.This conversation goes beyond crime statistics and punishment theory, focusing instead on the human consequences of long-term isolation — including anxiety, depression, psychosis, and lasting trauma. We also explore why solitary confinement continues to be used despite mounting evidence of its harm, and what alternatives may exist.This episode is not about sensational crimes — it’s about understanding the mind, the system, and the people affected by it.