Wilbert Rideau, journalist and author of the memoir In The Place of Justice, A Story of

Punishment and Deliverance. He describes the inhumane treatment of solitary confinement in

his article "When Prisoners Protest," published July 13 2013 in the New York Times. His detailed
recollection of deprivation of human contact and lose of ones-self, paranoia and depression.
He explains that when prisoners protest, it concerns all of us.
Rideau gives an example of the riot that took place at the California Department of has
Corrections. He effectively gives his opinion on why prisoners would want to protest when they
have so much to lose. He moves to his own experiences in solitary confinement. He describes
the mind set an inmate has while being in solitary. He gives a compelling example of effective
communication being utilized at a Louisiana prison described as one of the bloodiest and now it
is one of the safest prisons. Rideau persuades his readers with tone, ethos, pathos, logos
effectively appealing to the audiences emotions with his recollections of the madness solitary
causes on ones mental state.
Rideau really sets the tone of this article with the emotional words describing the mind set
when placed in solitary confinement. He begins with a powerful statement "authorities
exercise absolute power and demand abject obedience, prisoners are almost always going to be
on the losing side." He then shifts to things getting so bad that prisoners feel compelled to
protest, work stoppages, riots or even hunger strikes. The tone is consistent through the article
as serious. When he describes the inhumane treatment of solitary confinement it moves to a
more sad and depressing tone.

Rideau gives an example of a riot that took place at the California Department of Corrections.
Most recently hunger strike involving 30,000 inmates. The inmates biggest complaint was the
excessive use of power being used in a neglectful manner. That thousands of prisoners are
consigned to this cruelty indefinitely, for decades
Rideau effectively gives his opinion on why prisoners would want to protest when they have
everything to lose and not much to gain. The fear of actually being sent to solitary confinement
is the main drive for this hunger strike.
Rideau moves to his own experience in solitary confinement. He appeals to Ethos, through
the recollection of his combined time of 12 years in solitary confinement. He describe the cell
as barren and the size of a small bathroom, he goes on to say "Isolating a human being for
years is the cruelest thing you can do to a person." This is appealing to his audience Correction
facilities, Federal Bureau of Prisons and society. He severed nearly 44 years for manslaughter
gives Rideau empowering credibility to speak for inmates in solitary confinement ,but also weak
due to the fact that he was severing so many years for manslaughter.
He Describes the mind set an inmate has while being in solitary. He is using his appeal to
pathos with the very strong and emotion detriment of the mind. He goes on to describe trying
to keep your mind occupied counting over 300 rivets that held the steel cell together. He also
describe the loss of your ability to make small talk, you start to talk to your self , you even
answer yourself. He uses dark words like paranoid, depressed, sleepless, warding off madness.
All describing ones state of mind. He uses these depressing descriptions to appeal to pathos to
his readers.

Rideau describes his feelings in solitary makes his readers look at the prisoners as a human
being and not as a animal locked away in a cage. He does a fantastic job persuading your
thoughts as a reader to view inmates as a human being. Sometimes when a person enters a
facility he is a number no longer society's concern.
Appealing to logos, he then shifts to some names of people that have been serving in solitary
30 to 40 years. Stating that these men are examples of abuse of power in the system.
Continuing with the current hunger strike 2,500 inmates at the beginning of the week still
refusing food setting an amazing example of protest at the states penal facilities.
Again questioning the inmates motives for protesting, If these prisoners are not in solitary
confinement why are they concerned with those who are. He states that prison authorities still
don't understand why the protest of these inmates that are not directly affected.
He then describes these protesting inmates as victims of their own censorship. He moves
toward prison officials and their need to LISTEN to inmates and understand their protest. He
expresses that "at the heart of the problem is a lack of open communications and freedom of
expression."
He gives an example which is a fantastic example of logos. The solution being extremely
effective in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Rideau describes this penitentiary as one of the
bloodiest prions to now being the safest maximum security prisons in America.
Rideau makes a great claim on listening and making efforts for effective communication
between inmates and prison officials . He goes on to say that inmates demands are most often

reasonable. Realizing that some inmates need to be isolated for security reasons and the
California protesters are aware and acknowledge it.
Explaining the protesters demands not to end solitary confinement, but to implement
educational and rehabilitative programing, reasonable limits for the length of locked up and
simple improvement. He gives the example for effective appeal to logos.
Rideau moves toward persuading his audience why they should care or be supportive of
inhumane conditions of prolonged solitary confinement and the effects it has on your mental
state.. Describing again the emotional, social and mental deterioration that comes with being in
solitary confinement.
Rideau ends with every year men from California's Pelican Bay are released into our society to
live and work amongst us and our loved ones. Rideau makes a simple request for all to
become concerned with prisoners and their requests for rehabilitation opportunities. For all
that they suffered and almost on the verge of madness or possibly already reached that
threshold. To support the prisoners because one day they will be released into society and be
expected to be a good contribution to society who may not have had the proper opportunities
in prison and may not be mentally stable.
Rideau is persuading his readers to take action, he wants society to be supportive to the
prisoners protest or small request they are suggesting. It is almost as if we are not concerned
now about them and their mental wellbeing it will be our problem later when they are released
to work amongst us and our loved ones. This is his one last persuasive attempt to get the

readers to take action to think about the inmates mental health appealing to logos with the
simple fact these men are being released into society every year.