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'''Solitary confinement''', colloquially referred to in American [[English]] as "'''the hole'''", '''lockdown''', M2030D, "the SHU" (pronounced 'shoe') or "the pound" (or in British English "the block"), is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff. Usually cited as an additional measure of protection (of society) from the criminal, it has also been called a form of [[torture]]. In some cases it is also used as a form of protective custody.

'''Solitary confinement''', colloquially referred to in American [[English]] as "'''the hole'''", '''lockdown''', M2030D, "the SHU" (pronounced 'shoe') or "the pound" (or in British English "the block"), is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff. Usually cited as an additional measure of protection (of society) from the criminal, it has also been called a form of [[torture]]. In some cases it is also used as a form of protective custody.

==Usage and criticism==

==Usage and criticism==