Is Solitary Confinement Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

http://ccrjustice.org/solitary-factsheet

The above article talks about solitary confinement and how it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. In the eighth amendment of the United States Constitution it is stated that the government may not impose excessive bail or fines and my not impose cruel and unusual punishment, such as torture. The topic I would like to discuss is solitary confinement and whether it is or isn't considered to be cruel and unusual punishment. In my opinion, solitary confinement is cruel and unusual punishment and I feel this way because being away from human contact for extended periods of time can have major psychological effects on people. Research shows that prolonged solitary confinement can cause anxiety, headaches, insomnia, nervousness, nightmares, mood swings, depression, and so on. By using solitary confinement to punish criminals you are creating more psychological problems and damages which can be dangerous in the long run. When you really think about it, if someone committed a crime that was severe enough to deserve solitary confinement as a punishment then it’s very likely that there is already something psychologically wrong with that person and by creating more psychological problems for that person you are only going to cause more problems for them as an individual. This is why I believe that solitary confinement should be considered as cruel and unusual punishment.