‘It’s inhumane’: Solitary confinement cell replica set up in downtown Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A small box in the Haymarket is sending a big message about solitary confinement.

During the Lincoln Arts Festival, the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska set up a replica of a solitary confinement cell.

Jason Witmer aims to teach people how detrimental the practice can be in our state’s prisons.

“It shouldn’t be just locking them up and leaving them for months, years,” Witmer said. “It should be lockdown, talk, check-in, resolve the situation, come back to the yard.”

Witmer was in Nebraska’s prison systems both as a youth and an adult.  He experienced solitary confinement firsthand.

He said the smallest thing could lead to being locked up alone.

“From personal experience, I’ve never benefitted from being locked up,” Witmer said.

Often, he said it only makes the situation worse.

“You’re angry at whoever you had a problem with, you’re angry at the system, you’re angry at everything,” Witmer said. “But you’re getting so angry that you’re not dealing with the issues that you need to deal with.”

The replica holds only a small bed and toilet, with no windows and only a small slot for inmates to get their meals.

But Witmer said these tiny rooms can cause a world of problems.

“Overwhelmingly, it does nothing but harm,” he said. “So all of this ties together as to how we’re dealing with the system and people. And not dealing with people as people, but dealing with them as captives.”

Witmer said it can take a long-term toll on your mental health, especially after extended stays in solitary confinement.

And he knows some people who have spent years at a time alone in prison.

That’s why he’s fighting for reform with the ACLU.  He hopes by educating people, changes can be made in Nebraska’s prison systems.

Madison Fogleman stopped by the display.  She said it’s eye-opening.

“I think it’s awful. I think the way people are treated in prisons are awful,” she said. “It’s inhumane. You wouldn’t put a dog in that.”

The replica will be set up on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.