Terry Kupers

Terry Allen Kupers M.D., M.S.P. is a psychiatrist and expert on correctional mental health and the detrimental effects of solitary confinement. He is known for his expertise in the fields of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, forensic psychiatry, and community mental health. He is Professor Emeritus at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. His forensic psychiatry experience includes testimony in multiple large class action lawsuits concerning jail and prison conditions, sexual abuse behind bars, and the quality of mental health services within correctional facilities.

Early life and education Kupers was born on October 14, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third of six children born to Jewish parents Edward Carlton Kupers, M.D. and Frances Shirley Kupers (nee Praissman). His father was a doctor who served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and his mother was a nurse and caregiver to their six children. After the war, the family returned to Los Angeles, where Kupers grew up. He attended public schools, graduating from Fairfax High School in 1960, where he was a member of the Ephebians honor society.

Publications Kupers is the author of six books and the editor of two others. He has also written nearly one hundred articles and book chapters. His first three books, Public Therapy, Ending Therapy, and Revisioning Men’s Lives, cover a wide range of topics, including public mental health, psychoanalytic theory, toxic masculinity and gender theory. His next two books, Prison Madness and Solitary, focus on mental health, the damaging conditions of confinement, and human rights issues in the carceral system, particularly in solitary confinement. His most recent book, Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement, which he co-authored with Christopher Blackwell, Deborah Zalesne and Kwaneta Harris, continues his focus on the controversial practice of solitary confinement.

Kupers wrote an essay as part of the book Hell Is a Very Small Place, a collection of essays by those who have experienced solitary confinement and experts in the field. Kupers also authored the screenplay for a TED-Ed short animated video titled “How Isolation Changes Your Brain,” which explores the long-term impacts of social isolation.

Accolades Kupers is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.