Imagine living with no significant human contact for years, even decades, in a cell the size of a small bathroom. This is the reality for those in long-term solitary confinement, a form of imprisonment regularly imposed in US prisons. In this eye-opening talk, civil rights lawyer Laura Rovner takes us to ADX, the US federal government's only supermax prison, and describes the dehumanizing effects of long-term solitude on the mind, personality and sense of self. What emerges is an urgent case for abolishing solitary confinement -- and evidence for how our tax dollars, public safety and values are implicated in it. "Prisons are administered in our name and on our behalf," she says. "We have an obligation to bear witness."

Laura Rovner: What happens to people in solitary confinement

What happens to people in solitary confinement

Solitary confinement in the US, a practice amounting to torture, undermines core values of justice, affecting thousands daily.

At ADX, prisoners live in extreme isolation, harming their mental health and challenging our notions of human dignity and rights.

The secrecy surrounding ADX mirrors that of black sites, highlighting the need for transparency in the US justice system.