On any given day, some 300 people in U.S immigration detention centers are placed in special “segregation.” Researchers say the practice of solitary confinement can be especially detrimental to immigrant detainees’ mental health. Catherine Rentz, with the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, looks at how widespread the practice is, why detainees are put in solitary, and how long they stay.

Click here to download this week’s show. Image courtesy of Catherine Rentz, The Investigative Reporting Workshop.  

Catherine Rentz is a reporter and documentary filmmaker in residence at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University in Washington D.C. She’s produced several documentaries for PBS FRONTLINE about the airline industry, environmental resources, retirement finances, U.S. intelligence apparatus and immigration.