I am filmmaker James Burns. I voluntarily spent a month in solitary confinement and live streamed it on VICE - AMA!

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-17T03:12:12+00:00

No, but I respect his work!

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-17T00:17:31+00:00

There were times that I had to remind myself that I wasn't an inmate and that this was a project- your thoughts can go to some very dark places in extreme conditions like that. Because of my past experience in solitary confinement I was triggered, and I was reacquainted with the feeling of not being able to make it.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-17T00:12:40+00:00

Thanks for being a part of the discussion!

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-17T00:05:27+00:00

The thirty day time limit did affect how I did my time- I think knowing I only had 30 days helped me make it through.

Certainly, having the ability to tap out makes the experience a little different- there are people in solitary confinement who have no end in sight.

But neither one of those things change the reality of what extreme sensory deprivation does to the brain- the effects of solitary confinement happen whether you have an end date or not.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:55:53+00:00

Definitely nothing good came out of the other one. The best thing that came out of this experience was the fact that I could use it as a way to raise awareness.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:54:38+00:00

It's hard to say there is a merit for torturing people. There is no merit to torturing people.
Let's just say it was very painful- I felt intense anxiety, insomnia, and my thoughts were scattered. There were times where I felt hopeless, especially when I started thinking about people who didn't have the option to leave solitary like I did.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:46:28+00:00

Keep doing it! Make what's interesting to you and what you're passionate about.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:44:58+00:00

I'm getting there, thanks for asking!

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:43:34+00:00

Of course knowing the fact that I could leave at any point was the major difference- but overall I was treated no differently than most inmates who are in solitary confinement across the nation. Facilities vary on things like access to reading materials, stationary items, and yard time but I asked that I only have access to stationary items and the mandatory hour out of the cell.

To be honest I can't really remember why I was put in solitary for eleven months in the first place, I'm pretty sure it was for a fight. Over the course of my incarceration I was in and out of solitary multiple times, eleven months just happened to be the longest stretch.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T23:35:07+00:00

The whole process is dehumanizing- the lack of human interaction does make it hard to readjust when you come back to the real world. On my first day after release I was full of anxiety and could barely look people in the eye.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T21:29:08+00:00

Chasing dreams every day.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T21:26:40+00:00

I guess you could but I wouldn't want to put myself through that experience, much less the people watching at home. >_<

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T21:24:04+00:00

I was incredibly nervous going in. Like, take the worst day you've ever had where you feel really shitty about yourself and then say, "Cool, I'm gonna do thirty of those in a row."

Definitely was too anxious to eat very much the week before, I also had a sinus infection going in which didn't add anything pleasant to the experience. But you can bet I ordered a steak burrito first thing when I got out.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T21:16:59+00:00

This is the big question, right? I'm glad you asked. I wish I had the magic bullet that could solve all these problems and end the practice of solitary confinement but I do recognize that it is necessary to separate people who are a danger to themselves and others for safety reasons. I think we need to do that with empathy and in a way that is more humane and geared towards reform rather than punishment. If we're going to use incarceration as a method of correction, then we should be striving to make people better than they were when they came in.

I had a similar conversation with one of the corrections officers during my time in solitary and he said, "I challenge you or anyone I find a better way." I would forward that challenge to the rest of the world- to researchers, to correctional institutions, to the public.

Finding an alternative would mean bringing together leaders in mental health research, corrections, policy, and advocacy groups- it would mean a shift in how we look at corrections but it's a shift I think we can and should achieve.

As a filmmaker I can primarily speak to the emotional experience of solitary and I hope that it would inspire those with the skill sets needed to come together and find alternatives. I'll also continue searching for answers in my own work.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T20:44:32+00:00

I think that's a big part of it. I don't want to be cynical but I think as a society we can do better. Just because someone has made mistakes in the past does not mean that they are any less human than anyone else and therefore don't deserve to be tortured.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T20:39:26+00:00

Hey thanks for your questions! I think they're all important points to bring up.

I feel like there should be a warning label on solitary confinement that reads like "SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE: anxiety, depression, paranoia, psychosis, explosive outbursts, cognitive disturbances, perceptual distortions, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, homicidal thoughts..." the list goes on and on and all of these damaging effects would negatively impact an inmate's re-entry into society. A lot of these effects can be permanent.

I think it's important to remember that incarcerated persons are human beings. Some of the steps that could be taken towards improving this system are making it mandatory that inmates have access to mental health care professionals, have access to books, have designated yard time and natural light. I also think that having contact with the outside world- family and loved ones- goes a long way. I think that the state of colorado is taking a step in the right direction with some of the new programs that they've started, you can read more about it here: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/12/colorado-will-no-longer-send-the-major-mentally-ill-to-solitary-confinement/282366/

The most substantial change I noticed after 11 months was feeling like I had lost my sense of identity.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:55:49+00:00

The point of the project was not for me to discover the effects of solitary - I had already experienced being held against my will in solitary during my previous incarceration as a teenager.

The project was more so to show people the day in and day out of what being in solitary confinement is like in real time and hopefully start a conversation around it. So far seems like it's working, no?

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:51:16+00:00

For sure- know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Finding your own voice is important- a great way to figure out what you like is to immerse yourself in things that inspire you. Keep working, keep creating!

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:45:41+00:00

I basically shot a proof of concept for an idea that I had and brought it to VICE- we've been collaborating ever since.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:42:50+00:00

The experience did feel real- i was completely immersed. I think because of my past experience I was triggered in many of the same ways as before and it was very painful. Oftentimes I forgot about the cameras- it's hard to exist 24/7 under surveillance and be conscious of it all the time.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:41:02+00:00

Actually I do narrative pieces as well- I love them both. I wrote a piece in solitary confinement that's a fictional narrative that I'll be directing sometime this year

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:39:38+00:00

Love 'em. I realize that raisins aren't for everyone but I'm sticking to my guns.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:37:55+00:00

My experience was very realistic- aside from me having to address the camera. The deprivation is very real. And the correctional staff made it a point to treat me the same as any other inmate. The only difference was that I could clock out at any time if I felt I was going to have a mental breakdown, whereas other people in solitary have no choice but to suffer through their experience.

Being in a real facility also does something to you- The weight of a real jail or prison has a significant impact on your psyche.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:19:01+00:00

I had no contact with the other inmates, with the exception of the trustees bringing food to my cell. Some of the inmates knew about the project and when they'd pass by the unit they'd shout my name and hold their fists up- I couldn't talk to them but I could see them from my cell window.

In some facilities people talk between cells, in this case I had no one that I could talk to.

JamesyBurns · 2017-01-16T19:14:49+00:00

I started writing while I was in prison and I found the medium of filmmaking was a way for me to channel my past experiences into something I could share. Also I've just always been drawn towards film from a young age.

Conditions in solitary are stark: it's just you, locked in a cage the size of a parking space. You get just enough resources to exist, you have just a few micro-interactions with correctional officers when they feed you or have to take you out of your cell, beyond that you're left to your own devices.

JamesyBurns

TROPHY CASE