There are two sides to this question which lead me to accept the notions of greatly limiting solitary confinement while still using it as a limited tool for specific problems. First, it is wrong to use solitary confinement as an ongoing punishment- it is more dehumanizing than the cattle farm treatment of, in particular, violent offenders. It has the potential to undermine any rehabilitation efforts and just continue to 'harden' convicts. In particular, "Lifer's" scare the hell out of prison guards since they have nothing to lose and do not necessarily respond to lose-of-privilege threats. The threat of solitary confinement can help here. The problem is that solitary confinement cannot be permitted to be used out of convenience or because a guard has issues with a particular inmate. It is demeaning, dehumanizing and cruel and should only be administered when absolutely necessary.