By Corrections1 Staff
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — Media mogul Oprah Winfrey ended up in a prison cell in America’s most notorious state penitentiary after she pitched a story about solitary confinement to 60 Minutes.
CBS News reported that Winfrey visited Pelican Bay State Prison in California to examine the prison reform movement that’s dramatically reducing the use of solitary confinement in America. She also spoke to inmates who served decades in the prison’s security housing unit.
During an interview about her Pelican Bay report, Winfrey said she doesn’t have a “bleeding heart” about prisoners’ welfare, but she believes that the use of solitary confinement deserves scrutiny because of its impact on prisoners’ mental health.
“If you say, ‘Lock ‘em up and throw away the key,’-- yeah, you can throw away the key, but the key’s going to always get found,” Winfrey said.” Thirty years later, 15 years later, five years later, the key gets found and they’re coming out.”
You can watch the full interview below.