Opinion Today: He spent over 20 years in solitary confinement. Now, he’s free.

We follow Jack Powers as he embarks on the first day of his new life.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 26, 2022 By Christine Kecher Senior Commissioning Editor, Op-Docs Last year, John "Jack" Powers was released from federal prison after serving over 30 years for a series of unarmed bank robberies. A majority of those years were spent in solitary confinement and were marked by a profound decline in Powers's mental health. A few years after entering prison, Powers witnessed the murder of an inmate by three other prisoners who were believed to be members of the Aryan Brotherhood. He later testified against them, resulting in threats from members of the gang. He began experiencing anxiety and nightmares, and, fearing for his life, he escaped. Powers was apprehended and transferred to the notorious supermax prison ADX Florence, where inmates spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement in 7-by-12-foot cells. But the men he testified against were also housed at ADX, alongside other members of the Aryan Brotherhood, and Powers kept being threatened. His mental health continued to deteriorate. Despite the fact that Powers committed multiple acts of severe self-mutilation and attempted suicide, as well as received a diagnosis of PTSD, a prison psychologist determined that he did not need treatment. Powers eventually participated in a high-profile lawsuit regarding the neglect and abuse of inmates at ADX, which led to changes in how the prison treats inmates struggling with mental illness. He has also written prolifically about his experiences. His story reflects how the circumstances and conditions of solitary confinement can powerfully affect the course of an inmate's life, both during and after incarceration. In our new Op-Doc "Tuesday Afternoon," the filmmaker Pete Quandt documents Powers's release day as he experiences his first hours of freedom in over three decades. Watch the film here. Pete Quandt After Two Decades in Solitary, This Is His First Day Out After nearly 33 years in prison — and over two decades in solitary confinement — Jack Powers embarks on the first day of his new life. By Pete Quandt Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Guest Essay How Elise Stefanik Became 'Ultra-MAGA and Proud of It' The changing politics of the No. 3 House Republican leader tell us a lot about the transformation of the G.O.P. By Peter Wehner On the News Guest Essay Ukraine Is the Next Act in Putin's Empire of Humiliation There seems to be nothing in Russia's mainstream discourse that takes responsibility for the past and imagines a different path forward. By Peter Pomerantsev Guest Essay We Know What Happens When Medicine Is Criminalized Medicine is hard to govern with the blunt instrument of criminal law. 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