# No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System - Hardcover

by **Pete Earley** (Author)

**_A deeply disturbing and human look at the American prison system's practice of lifelong solitary confinement, and the two killers who changed modern day corrections. No Human Contact by the New York Times bestselling author of THE HOT HOUSE, Pulitzer Prize finalist Pete Earley takes readers inside the criminal justice system, examining the brutal lives of those in solitary confinement in an eye opening narrative of reprehensible crime, draconian punishment, and seemingly impossible reform in the harshest depths of the country's most dangerous prisons._**

In 1983, Thomas Silverstein and Clayton Fountain, both serving life sentences at the U.S, Prison in Marion, Illinois, separately murdered two correction officers on the same day. The Bureau of Prisons condemned both men to the severest punishment that could legally be imposed, one created _specifically for them_. It was unofficially called "no human contact."

Each initially spent nine months in a mattress-sized cell where the lights burned twenty-four hours a day. They were clothed only in boxer shorts, completely sealed off from the outside world with only their minds to occupy their time. Eventually granted minimal privileges, Fountain turned to religion and endured twenty-one-years before dying alone of natural causes. Silverstein became a skilled artist and lasted thirty-six years, longer than any other American prisoner held in isolation. Amazingly, both men found purpose to their existence while confined in the belly of the beast.

Pete Earley--the only journalist to be granted face-to-face access with Silverstein--examines profound questions at the heart of our justice system. Were Silverstein and Fountain born bad? Or were they twisted by abusive childhoods? Did incarceration offer them a chance of rehabilitation--or force them to commit increasingly heinous crimes? _No Human Contact_ elicits a uniquely deep and uncomfortable understanding of the crimes committed, the use of solitary confinement, and the reality of life, redemption, and death behind prison walls.

### Author Biography

**Pete Earley** is a mental health advocate, journalist, and _New York Times_ bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction books, including _The Hot House: Life Inside Leavenworth Prison_ and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist _Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness_. A former Washington Post reporter, Earley has appeared five times before the U.S. Congress to testify about the need for mental health reform, has spoken in 49 states, and addressed legislators in four foreign countries. He serves on the board of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, which finances projects to eliminate homelessness. He writes regularly for _USA Today_ and the _Washington Post_ about mental health issues. Earley lives in Northern Virginia and can be found online at PeteEarley.com.  

**Number of Pages:** 304

**Dimensions:** 1.03 x 9.26 x 6.33 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** April 25, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 27.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 27.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System - Hardcover

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