More than 122,000 incarcerated people in the US are in solitary confinement.

That's according to a report by solitary watch and unlock the box.

That's significantly greater than previous estimates, which were around 80,000, and didn't

include reports from local jails.

solitary confinement has been used in prisons and jails across the US since the 1970s, and

for one man, the four walls of solitary confinement were all he knew for nearly three decades.

The box, 27 years in solitary confinement, is a short film out now on Al Jazeera.com.

It explores the case of Dennis Hope, a man incarcerated in Texas.

He escaped prison twice in the 1990s, and the prison punished him by putting him in solitary

confinement in 1994.

And it never let him out until last year.

After the break, we talk about Dennis' experience and the use of solitary confinement across

the country.

I'm Dessa, in for Gen White.

You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story.

We've got a lot to discuss.

Stay with us.

Let's get into the story of Dennis Hope with our first guest.

Jeremy Young is a senior producer for Fault Mines on Al Jazeera English and recently produced

the new episode, The Box, 27 years in solitary confinement.

Jeremy, welcome.

Thanks for having me back.

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