Prolonged Solitary Confinement and the Secular Humanist

This speaker participated in our 2019 Conference. Learn more about our 2023 conference speakers here.

Pitzer College

Saturday, June 8, 2019
12:00pm-12:30pm

This presentation covers the moral and ethical issues associated with the use of prolonged solitary confinement in the US from a secular humanist perspective. Beginning with the empirical evidence for the psychological and health-related consequences of prolonged solitary confinement and the safe alternatives that exist, the central theme of this presentation will focus on a critique of the philosophies that drive the use of prolonged solitary confinement in US contrasted with the constructs of utilitarian and radical humanism. Attendees will be encouraged to engage in multi-level activism on behalf of those in solitary confinement as a matter of humanistic principle.

Ali Winters

Dr. Ali Winters is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Tennessee State University (TSU) with teaching responsibilities on the undergraduate and graduate levels. With over 26 years of direct social work practice experience, Dr. Winters’ primary areas of social work practice have been forensic social work in corrections and juvenile justice, direct trauma-based service delivery, program development and evaluation, and behavioral health in healthcare settings. Her principal areas of research interest include ethics and treatment in solitary confinement, female criminogenic pathways and needs, prison culture and decision-making, comorbid PTSD/SUDs treatment, and best practices in trauma-informed care.

Email: awinter2@tnstate.edu
TSU Social Work Program Website: http://www.tnstate.edu/socialwork/