Seven Days in Solitary [12/18/2016]

Our Weekly Roundup of News and Views on Solitary Confinement

by | December 18, 2016

• Filmmaker James Burns voluntarily entered solitary confinement in the La Paz County Jail in Parker, Arizona. Every moment of his 30 days in the hole will be livestreamed here.

• New York City’s Correction Officers’ Union announced it would be suing the city to block a new policy that would prohibit people from being held continuously in solitary confinement for more than 30 days. The union said that those held in punitive segregation compose “the very few truly predatory individuals in DOC custody.”

StatNews published an article on how immigration detention centers are set to fail detainees with mental illness, including because of ICE’s over-reliance reliance on solitary confinement. “STAT found detainees with mental illness being held in solitary confinement against the advice of prison doctors,” writes journalist Max Siegelbaum. “The investigation also found immigrants at clear risk of suicide being left alone with the means to make another attempt to end their lives.”

• In the Gotham Gazette, JustLeadershipUSA founder Glenn Martin called on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate racial bias in the state’s prisons. He writes, “To truly address the issue of solitary confinement, Governor Cuomo should create a timeline for discontinuing the use of all solitary confinement and punitive segregation throughout the state prison system. He should also direct the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) to immediately ensure that far fewer people are placed in solitary confinement.”

• Coverage continued of Governor Chris Christie’s decision to veto a bill that would limit the use of solitary confinement in New Jersey’s prisons. Both the New York Times and the Marshall Project addressed the issue.

• The trailer was released for an upcoming docuseires about Kalief Browder, who committed suicide after spending about three years on Rikers Island, much of it in solitary confinement. Jay-Z produced the series, which is due to premiere at Sundance next month.

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