6 X 9: A Virtual Experience of Solitary Confinement

Solitary confinement. It's a term most of us are pretty familiar with. Yet due to its normalization via popular culture, the brutal and inhuman nature of this practice has been somewhat dulled. Lest we forget, solitary confinement (referred to as segregation in Canada) is the single most severe punishment an inmate can receive, with the exception of the death penalty. It involves complete isolation from the world for 23 hours a day. In theory, it should thus be a last resort. But in reality, it's a common practice. As reported by Vice: "While rules and regulations around segregation can differ between federal and...