Today, the ACLU released Worse than Second Class: Solitary Confinement of Women in the United States. Recognizing that women in solitary are often ignored, the report examines the gendered impact of solitary and issues a series of recommendations. These recommendations assume that vulnerable populations will continue to be incarcerated and focus on ameliorating the harmful effects of solitary.
February 19, 2014 – The New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York State Department of Community Corrections (DOCCS) today announced an unprecedented agreement to reform the way solitary confinement is used in New York State’s prisons, with the state taking immediate steps to remove youth, pregnant inmates and developmentally disabled and intellectually challenged prisoners from extreme isolation.
Charles E. Samuels Jr., far right, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, at a Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday that included a replica of a solitary confinement cell, rear.
Use of Solitary Confinement Scrutinized by Prison Watchdogs
by Anita Kumar
RICHMOND — At Red Onion State Prison, built on a mountaintop in a remote pocket of southwest Virginia, more than two-thirds of the inmates live in solitary confinement.
Long abandoned by many states, the practice is a last resort for California authorities struggling to thwart gang activity and extract information from the most hardened members. Critics say it amounts to torture. U.S. prisons typically reserve solitary confinement for inmates who commit serious offenses behind bars. In California, however, suspected gang members, even those with clean prison records.
