Seven Days in Solitary [7/5/2015]

by | July 5, 2015

The following roundup features noteworthy news, reports and opinions on solitary confinement from the past week that have not been covered in other Solitary Watch posts.

• The Huffington Post published a “terrifying glimpse into life in prison–as a kid,” including the use of solitary confinement.

• The week’s New York Magazine cover story was devoted to examining Rikers Island, including the use of solitary confinement.

• New Jersey Advocates for Immigrant Detainees, along with the NYU School of Law, released a report about the use of solitary confinement in the state’s immigration detention centers. The investigation, which was based on public records requests, found an “unnecessarily harsh and unfair system that violates state and international standards.” (See additional coverage here.)

• A transgender woman has sued Snyder County, PA for placing her in solitary confinement for three days in 2013, allegedly without any reason or explanation. “It’s terrifying for somebody like me to realize that I can be treated, mistreated and abused in such a manner, and they do it with impunity,” she said.

• The Guardian published an op-ed by Amnesty International’s Jasmine Heiss entitled “Solitary confinement isn’t punishment. It’s torture.”

• David Sweat, who escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility in New York in June, was shot, captured, and subsequently transferred to Five Points Correctional Facility, another prison in the state, where he will likely be placed in indefinite solitary confinement.

• Glen Ford, who had his death sentence vacated after nearly 30 years in prison, died – less than 16 months after his release. Ford was incarcerated in Louisiana and spent the vast majority of his time on the inside in solitary confinement.

The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a man placed in solitary confinement for twenty years after participating in a prison riot is entitled to sue for a due process violation, according to the ABA Journal.

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