I often disagree with George Will, but he generally shows a reasonableness in his writing and doesn't take an automatic dogmatic position on many issues. He did so with his column "The Torture of Solitary Confinement", Washington Post, 2013-02-20 and republished in today's Star Tribune.
Will points out how psychologically damaging solitary confinement can be. Ironically, it was the Quakers who were influential in creating solitary confinement as a way to help prisoners gain some penance (thus, penitentiary). The colloquial "pen" wound up being more descriptive. Will also compares the three known water boarding cases to the tens of thousands who are put in solitary confinement.
I used to think that the conclusion of "El Secreto de sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)" was quite appropriate for the crime. Now I have second thoughts, especially considering the number of people sentenced for crimes they did not commit.
