Investigating Prisoner Abuse and 'Double-Cell' Solitary

The Marshall Project’s Christie Thompson and NPR’s Joe Shapiro take us inside the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to reveal the consequences of an abusive practice known as “double-cell” solitary: housing two prisoners in a cell smaller than a parking space for nearly 24 hours a day. For their investigation, “28 Days in Chains,” they tell the story of Sebastian Richardson, who resisted being housed with a violent cellmate who had reportedly assaulted 20 previous “cellies.” Richardson said his options were either live in a tiny cell with a violent man or remain in restraints. He was shackled for 28 days. The radio pieces can be found on NPR's website: Inside a Lewisburg Prison, Solitary Confinement Methods Often Lead to Violence at Lewisburg Prison, Doubling Up Prisoners In 'Solitary' Creates Deadly Consequences, and Inside Lewisburg Prison: A Choice Between A Violent Cellmate Or Shackles.