27 Years in Solitary Confinement

<p>In the 1990s, Dennis Wayne Hope committed a series of armed robberies. After proving adept at escaping prison, he was put in isolation. He has been there for nearly three decades.</p><p>His case, if the Supreme Court agrees to hear it, could answer the fundamental question of how long people can be held in solitary confinement.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/adam-liptak?smid=pc-thedaily">Adam Liptak</a>, a reporter covering the Supreme Court for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Mr. Hope has spent<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/us/supreme-court-solitary-confinement.html"> more than half his life in solitary confinement</a>, in a cell that is nine feet long and six feet wide — smaller than a compact parking space.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>