We talked to 100 people about their experiences in solitary confinement – this is what we learned

Living conditions in a solitary cell at New York's Rikers Island jail. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

The United States leads the world in its use of solitary confinement, locking away in isolation more of its population than any other country.

Every day, up to 48,000 inmates – or around 4% of the incarcerated population – are locked in some form of solitary confinement in detention centers, jails and prisons across the U.S.