By C1 Staff
LA PAZ COUNTY, Ariz. — A filmmaker is livestreaming his time in solitary confinement for a VICE documentary.
James Burns, 30, who has been in and out of the criminal justice system for 15 years, was first placed in isolation at a mental health facility at age 6 after getting in trouble in school, according to VICE.
He has volunteered to stay in La Paz County Jail for 30 days in solitary to start a conversation about why the United States still uses the punishment. He will be able to leave at any time and will be videotaped 24/7.
He believes that solitary confinement doesn’t “have a place in modern society” and the system should focus on how to “make people better, not worse,” according to the publication.
“We are releasing some people from maximum-security prisons where they have been sitting in solitary confinement for 15 years, and they are absolutely fucking bonkers when you let them out. That creates unnecessary danger for many communities,” he said.