New this week from Solitary Watch: 

Kevin Sawyer, an incarcerated journalist, writes about what Black August means to him. Originating in 1979 in honor of the incarcerated activist George Jackson, Black August commemorates the legacy of Black liberation fighters, political prisoners, and revolutionary leaders, especially those behind bars. Sawyer writes that has observed Black August for 24 of his 28 years incarcerated, and has faced retaliation from San Quentin prison due to his own reading and writings on Black liberation. Sawyer says that as a Black man, Black August serves to remember and honor his fallen heroes and strengthen his conviction in the fight for liberation. Solitary Watch

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This week’s pick of news and commentary about solitary confinement:

Legislation that would have banned solitary confinement of pregnant incarcerated people was recently amended due to pressure from prison officials in Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration. The bill, AB 2527, now allows them to be held in solitary for up to five days, causing many previous supporters to change their position. San Francisco Chronicle | More than 60 community groups and advocacy organizations have withdrawn their support of AB 2527 due to the changes in the legislation. The Essie Justice Group, an organization that advocates for incarcerated women and gender-expansive people and a former co-sponsor of the bill, says that if passed, the bill puts into state law “an express authorization for placing pregnant people in isolation” for the first time. WitnessLA | See “Action Alerts,” below, to sign onto the letter opposing AB 2527.

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A correctional facility for men and boys under the age of 21 will end the use of “disciplinary isolation” due to an agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the Connecticut Department of Correction. In 2021 the Justice Department concluded that the facility’s treatment of children was in violation of the 8th and 14th Amendments, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The facility used solitary confinement on children, strip-searching them and placing them into an empty cell without any personal items. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “We know that isolation can cause real harm to children—increasing risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide—because their brains are still developing and they lack adequate coping mechanisms.” CT Insider

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Protests condemning the conditions of ICE detention centers in California are escalating. Detainees inside two Kern County facilities have been waging hunger and labor strikes intermittently over the past two years, initially to call attention to substandard pay and care, sexually abusive pat-downs, and retaliatory use of solitary confinement. Earlier this month, the protests were catalyzed once again when ICE ended free phone calls. These protests were further bolstered by a report released on the same day by the ACLU of Northern California, which documented “a pattern of hazardous, inhumane conditions, medical neglect and retaliation across all six ICE facilities in California.” Activists are now calling on ICE’s agency’s field director to meet with the protesting detainees. KQED

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The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has submitted a formal rejection of a June 2024 report which investigated the living conditions and healthcare inside the county jail system. The report was published by the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury, a citizen-led government watchdog, which found that the jail’s corrections officers were placing individuals with mental illness in solitary confinement for “excessively long periods,” as well as using solitary as a form of punishment. The Sheriff’s office initially acknowledged that the county’s jails needed to improve their health care, but has now called the investigation “the most factually inaccurate report he’d seen in 36 years with the sheriff’s office.” Lookout Santa Cruz

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Action Alerts for this week:

Advocates in California are urging organizations to sign a letter opposing AB 2527. As described in the lead item above, the bill, originally meant to ban the use of solitary for pregnant people, has been amended to allow the practice. Although the bill has passed the state legislature, there is still time to express opposition before it reaches Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Advocates are seeking organizations to join 65 other groups in signing on to the letter. (Individuals can still message Governor Newsom on their own.) AB 2527 Amendment Opposition Letter

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Follow Unlock the Box on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for its “30 Days of Education” back-to-school feature on youth and solitary confinement. This month-long social media campaign will be “dropping daily facts, highlighting groundbreaking legislation, sharing podcast recommendations,” and collaborating with organizations including Solitary Watch. Stay tuned. 30 Days of Education

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