Nick Hogan is a broken man, according to his sister Brooke.

Nick - son of Hulk - is currently serving an eight-month prison sentence for reckless driving stemming from a car crash that left his passenger and friend permanently brain damaged.

And elder sister Brooke says that his jail experience – including a 28-day stretch in solitary confinement – has deeply affected her brother.

"They had broken his spirit," she tells People. "When they put him in solitary, he was on the outs. I was worried about him, and his safety, and his well-being."

Brooke insists that things are little better since Nick ended his stint in solitary.

"We get to visit him three times a week like everybody else, but it sucks," she says.

"I can't just walk over to his room and give him a hug, or talk to him, or confide in him.

"At least he's not locked in hell, basically. And his personality is slowly coming back. I bring that out of him."