New this week from Solitary Watch:

Madeline Wren takes an in-depth look at the work of Citizens for Prison Reform, a Michigan-based advocacy group working to reform solitary confinement in the state with its Open MI Door campaign. Her article examines how the campaign often employs uncommon methods to expose legislators and the general public to the horrors of solitary confinement, such as showcasing graphic photos of the effects of the practice and constructing replicas of solitary confinement cells. It also highlights the group’s legislative efforts to materially improve the conditions of incarcerated people in solitary confinement, calling for the protection of visitation rights and transparency from the Michigan Department of Corrections about the true extent of the practice in the state. Solitary Watch

To reach as broad an audience as possible with our original reporting and commentary on solitary confinement, Solitary Watch regularly publishes not only on our own site, but in larger publications as well. This week, we published a complete list, with links, of more than a hundred pieces supported by Solitary Watch that have appeared in a wide variety of media outlets. Solitary Watch

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

Illinois lawmakers consider increasing transparency on solitary confinement as a vote on House Bill 4828 nears in the Illinois Senate. The bill, also known as the Restrictive Housing Data Publication and Verification Act, mandates that the Illinois Department of Corrections publish quarterly updates on its solitary confinement use on its official website. The bill passed in the Illinois House of Representatives 73-40 in May, but only after it was fully amended from the Nelson Mandela Act, a bill that would have restricted solitary confinement to a maximum of 10 consecutive days, or any 10 days within 180 days.  Despite the change in priorities, bill sponsor Rep. Kevin Olickal (D-Skokie) remains optimistic about the bill and the future of solitary confinement reform. “We obviously still want to restrict or even abolish solitary confinement in the state,” said Hammond in an interview with The State Journal-Register. “It’s a form of torture…we have a human rights crisis in our prisons.” The State Journal-Register

A new lawsuit filed against Wayne County, Michigan, alleges that two staff members at the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility repeatedly raped a child at the facility when he was between the ages of 14 and 17. Allegedly, both staff members repeatedly threatened the boy with solitary confinement and a transfer to an adult maximum security prison if he spoke to anyone about the ongoing assaults. Bertram Marks, the plaintiff’s lawyer, said: “We have to protect our children. We have to be a community that has disdain for this kind of conduct, period. We can’t normalize or be accepting of this horrendous conduct.” The Detroit Times

Incarcerated people in Washington experience substantial mental health decline while in solitary confinement, according to a new report by the Office of the Corrections Ombuds. The report, the second of three reports on solitary confinement ordered by the Washington State Legislature last year, found “at least 176 people attempted suicide while in solitary confinement, with 14 dying” over the past decade. Angee Schrader and E.V. Webb, the report’s authors interviewed 13 incarcerated individuals across five Washington prisons and found people were regularly subject to abuse in solitary confinement, including placement in shock collars. “It’s a cuff that goes on an arm or a leg and a staff member has a remote and they can shock somebody,” said Schrader. “Didn’t even know that existed.” NBCRightNow

A new federal lawsuit alleges Missouri corrections officers are responsible for an incarcerated man’s death while in administrative segregation. After Brandon Pace was placed in solitary confinement following an altercation with another prisoner,  a Correctional Emergency Response Team was summoned because Pace refused to hand over what officers “believed to be methamphetamine” or participate in a strip search. In return, an officer from the unit sprayed Pace with an MK-46 canister of pepper spray. Pace remained restrained in his cell where he pleaded for four hours, ignored by prison officials, before ultimately dying. “The Department of Corrections is duty-bound to protect those individuals like Brandon Pace, who are in state custody,” said Lynn Ellenberger, an attorney representing Pace’s mother in the lawsuit. “They’re obligated to provide for his well being and for his care, and in this case, that was not done.” Missouri Independent

Christina Pike, the sole woman on Tennessee’s death row, was granted “behavior-dependent opportunities” to spend time out of solitary confinement, where she has spent nearly 30 years following her 1996 murder conviction. Pike’s settlement will allow her to earn more freedom of movement, out-of-cell time, and interactions with other people pending set periods without disciplinary issues. “This settlement will be life-changing for Christa Pike,” said Angela Bergman, a lawyer in Pike’s lawsuit against her prison conditions. “For the last nearly 30 years, Ms. Pike has been subjected to solitary confinement in a cell the size of a parking space, where she has had nearly no meaningful human contact. These conditions have had a devastating impact on her mental and physical health.” Nashville Banner

Get this weekly roundup in your mail every Wednesday, covering the past seven days of solitary confinement news and commentary. Subscribe today.

The work we do is made possible by your support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation—large or small—today.