. >> reporter: parchman, in the heart of the mississippi delta, is a sprawling 1800-acre prison. its unit 32 once housed 1,000 inmates in solitary confinement, each prisoner crammed into an eight by 10 foot cell 23 hours a day. inmates got out one hour a day for exercise and a shower. >> it's torture. it's the worst kind of torture. i'd rather be beaten or burned. >> reporter: kirby tate, who served nine years on a nonviolent drug charge spent three of those years in solitary confinement, mostly in unit 32. >> you pray to god. you lay in bed every day and pray, "please, let this be the last day." if you're not a psychopathic maniac, they have no business putting you in solitary confinement. >> we should be looking at those individuals that we're afraid of. >> reporter: chris epps opened unit 32 in 1990 when was parchman's second in command, but in 2010, as the state commissioner of the corrections, he decided to close it. >> it has not affected public safety, as far as the citizens of the state. it has not affected our staff. no one has gotten hurt. >> reporter: you've been quote