In a recent opinion piece in the the New York Times, Sarah Shourd connects her experience in Iran’s Evin Prison, where she was held in solitary confinement for 14 and a half months, to the use of solitary confinement in the United States. Reflecting further on this piece, it is clear that policies around solitary confinement are a very real concern in Massachusetts, particularly, where we have one of the highest inmate suicide rates in the country — due at least in part to the overuse of solitary confinement in response to symptoms of mental illness. This is a timely and important discussion, especially when placed in an international context as it is here.