A British serial killer, Robert Mawdsley, holds the world record for spending the most time in solitary confinement, having been locked up for nearly 50 years. Mawdsley, now 70, has spent 45 years alone in a glass prison cell in West Yorkshire after slaying three inmates. He was first imprisoned in 1974 for the murder of John Farrell, a child predator. After being deemed unfit to stand trial, Mawdsley was sent to a high-security psychiatric hospital in Liverpool, where he took an inmate hostage and killed him with a shaved-down spoon in 1977.
Mawdsley was later transferred to Wakefield prison, where he killed two more inmates, resulting in his placement in solitary confinement. He has been living in an 18-foot by 15-foot glass cage cell, which includes bulletproof windows and a concrete slab for a bed, along with a table and chair made of compressed cardboard.
Mawdsley’s nephew, Gavin Mawdsley, has stated that if his uncle had not been isolated, he would continue to kill child predators in prison. However, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice has stated that there is “no such thing as solitary confinement” in the prison system and that offenders who pose a risk to others may be segregated, but are still allowed time in the open air, visits, phone calls, and access to legal advice and medical care.
Albert Woodfox, who was held at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, was previously believed to hold the world record for solitary confinement, at 43 years. He spent this time in solitary after being convicted of murdering a correctional officer, a crime he continued to deny after his release and until his death. So, both of these men have achieved notoriety for spending extensive periods in solitary confinement.