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

On Friday, February 28, New York Governor Kathy Hochul agreed to several concessions in hope of ending an illegal strike by state corrections officers. Central to the compromise is the “temporary” suspension of several provisions of the HALT Solitary Confinement law. The City | There has been widespread public outcry from proponents of the HALT Solitary legislation in response to Hochul’s decision to suspend the law. In a statement regarding the indictment of the officers involved in the beating of Robert Brooks, which appears to have been a catalyst for the strike, the NAACP criticized the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) for forgoing a “moment of accountability” in favor of “embrac[ing] the culture of brutality in New York State prisons.” NY Daily News 

Meanwhile, the strike has further worsened prison conditions. An incarcerated Black man was beaten by substitute guards until he bled from his ears. At the same time, many advocates believe that reinstating solitary confinement to full use could create more problems. Joseph Patterson, who is currently incarcerated and has spent several months-long periods in solitary confinement, said “it’s like being locked up inside a box, literally. That doesn’t help anybody. It just makes people more rebellious.” WAMC | According to the agreement, the more than 3,500 National Guard personnel who were deployed will remain in the facilities. The conditions for their withdrawal were not specified. Gothamist | Seven incarcerated individuals have died since the walkout began.  In addition to causing widespread lockdowns, the strike has prevented incarcerated people from accessing “non-emergency” medical and mental health care. The first death occurred on February 22 after a man was allegedly denied medical assistance at Auburn Correctional Facility. Two days later another man incarcerated at Auburn was found unresponsive in his cell and was unable to be revived. On February 26, two more men passed away about four hours apart while at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.  New York Times

The HALT suspension coincides with a new investigation into the death of another incarcerated man who was fatally beaten by guards in December, a few weeks after Robert Brooks’ death. New York Times | Additionally, an investigation into State Prison Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III found that he descends from a long line of government officials known for aiding correctional officers in avoiding consequences for abuse, sexual harassment, and misconduct.  New York Focus

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Characterized by the federal government as an “outlier” in protecting youth from harsh prison conditions, Maryland keeps minors in adult jails, where they spend up to 23 hours a day in isolation, go without schooling, and have reported avoiding showering for fear of being raped. The U.S. Department of Justice has an annual threshold for the acceptable number of violations a state can incur before losing federal funding. Maryland prison system’s violations were seven times greater than the threshold, costing the state “upwards of $500,000” in federal funding over the next two years. WYPR

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A recent investigation ranked the ICE detention center in Batavia, New York, as fifth highest out of 126 centers for use of solitary confinement. Individuals detained in Batavia are kept in solitary confinement for 25 days, on average. Although United Nations standards consider isolation exceeding 15 days as torture and New York state law ban it in prison and jails, these restrictions don’t apply to the detention center, which falls under federal jurisdiction. Despite being one-half or one-third the size of other facilities, the number of people kept at the Batavia facility spiked after President Trump won the election. Investigative Post

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German tourist Jessica Brösche continues to fight for her release from a San Diego immigrant detention center. Despite having the necessary documentation, Brösche was detained by ICE officials  at the San Diego-Mexico border before being taken into custody, where she  spent at least eight days in solitary confinement. In a phone call to a friend, Brösche said “it was like a horror movie. They were screaming in all different rooms.” After nine days, she began punching the walls due to psychological distress. The Guardian 

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In an opinion piece, Justice advocate and solitary survivor Steven Mangual emphasizes the importance of abolishing solitary confinement by paralleling his experiences in isolation with the incarcerated men involved in the ongoing Red Onion State Prison investigation. Last year, at least six Black men burned themselves in protest against inhumane conditions at the Pennsylvania facility. “Solitary confinement is meant to break you,” states Mangual, “In my time in solitary, the lack of communication, support, and tools to express my pain left me feeling invisible—much like the men at Red Onion must feel today.” Virginia Mercury

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Action Alerts for the week:

On Saturday, March 8 at 10 am EST, there will be a rally at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York to protest against rollbacks of the HALT solitary law. You can register here. 

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The Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement is leading a campaign to urge Governor Youngkin to sign SB1409, a bill restricting the use of solitary in state prisons, into law. You can support people who are incarcerated in Virginia by calling the governor’s office at (804) 786-2211 or emailing the governor via this online form. 

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