When I read that a man called Herman Wallace had died on 3rd Oct 2013 after 42 years in solitary confinement in America I thought that must be a mistake. I started to read about him and my astonishment grew. I came to the conclusion that the justice system in America needs overhauling and I remain shocked not only about Herman Wallace's horrific (but remarkable) story of abuse, but also because there are, so it seems, 80,000 solitary confinement cells used in America, a fact which is ghastly in the extreme. Out of this came a song which I wrote "The Ballad of Herman Wallace" which I now sing, and it often elicits shock and questions from listeners.