New This Week from Solitary Watch:

In the latest installment of Voices from Solitary, Redhawk Monte, a Coast Salish native of the Snoqualmie tribe, shares a searing poem reflecting on his twelve years spent in solitary confinement. Through vivid imagery and deeply personal narrative, Monte captures the psychological deterioration, spiritual disconnection, and loss of identity caused by prolonged isolation. As he confronts the daily reality of talking to himself, coping with constant noise, and drifting further from reality, Monte also centers the specific pain experienced by Indigenous people, whose cultural ties are severed behind prison walls. His poem is both testimony and call to action, urging readers to recognize solitary confinement as a form of torture and to “push the issue” before more lives are irreparably harmed. Solitary Watch

---

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

On April 17, just days prior to his death, Pope Francis visited Regina Caeli prison in Rome, where he met with 70 incarcerated men as part of his annual Holy Thursday tradition. Although recovering from pneumonia, he made the trip to be present with people behind bars during the Easter season. While he was unable to perform his usual foot-washing ritual, he told the men he still wanted to “do what Jesus did on Holy Thursday” by spending time among them. The visit reflects Francis’s long-standing commitment to prison ministry, especially during Jubilee and Holy Year celebrations, which he has intentionally bookended with events focused on incarcerated people. Associated Press | During his papacy, Francis spoke forcefully against the use of solitary confinement, calling it a “form of torture” and advocating for its complete abolition, alongside the death penalty and life without parole, which he described as a “hidden death penalty.”  PBS News | In 2014, Solitary Watch reported on Pope Francis’s address to the International Association of Penal Law, where he denounced the psychological harm caused by extreme isolation and called for prison conditions that fully respect human dignity. In that speech, he warned that solitary confinement produces suffering and despair and should not be seen as a legitimate tool of punishment, but as a surplus of pain imposed on already marginalized individuals. Solitary Watch

---

A new class action lawsuit alleges that New York’s prison agency is abusing emergency powers to dismantle the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (the HALT Solitary Act), which limits the use of solitary confinement. Filed by the Legal Aid Society, the suit reveals that the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is considering a policy that would allow it to suspend HALT protections on any day labeled a “high impact” day, including Fridays, weekends, or any day the commissioner chooses.  Since the wildcat strike by prison guards in March, DOCCS has continued to confine people to their cells for up to 23 hours a day, citing staffing shortages as justification. Incarcerated plaintiffs describe being denied showers, recreation, and phone calls, with some reporting serious mental health declines, including self-harm and suicidal thoughts.  New York Focus

---

ICE detention centers across the country are facing overcrowding and deteriorating conditions as the Trump administration ramps up arrests and detains nearly 48,000 people. Detainees, many with no criminal charges, report sleeping on floors, being denied access to medical care, and “improper use of solitary confinement.” Meanwhile, two oversight agencies responsible for monitoring health and safety at the facilities have been dissolved, raising concerns about unchecked abuse and neglect. Advocates and former detainees say the crisis is manufactured, as ICE ignores release protocols for vulnerable individuals and pushes to expand detention to 100,000 beds. Washington Post

---

For the second week in a row, Florida lawmakers have refused to advance “Ava’s Law,” a bill that would delay prison sentences for pregnant individuals until after they give birth and allow them time to nurse and bond with their newborns. Named after a baby who died after her mother gave birth alone in a jail cell, the bill would also require pregnancy testing within 72 hours of arrest. Despite bipartisan support and a past unanimous Senate vote, the legislation has once again been shut out of committee consideration. Advocates note this follows earlier progress with the Tammy Jackson Act, which banned solitary confinement for pregnant women, but say state leaders continue to neglect the needs and lives of incarcerated mothers and their children. Florida Politics 

---

Texas lawmakers are considering HB 3006, a bill that would require air-conditioning and heating in state prisons over the next decade. Supporters say it’s a necessary response to deadly conditions that have led to at least 14 heat-related deaths per year, although many believe the true toll is higher. The bill, authored by Rep. Terry Canales, would accelerate the state’s 30-year plan by capping spending at $100 million every two years and using the labor of incarcerated people to reduce costs. At a recent hearing, formerly incarcerated individuals described the brutal heat—one man recalled being sent to solitary confinement after a heat-related fight. Advocates stressed that Texas law gives more heat protection to animals in shelters than to people in prisons. With no witnesses opposing the measure and a court ruling the current conditions unconstitutional, supporters say this bill is both morally urgent and financially smart. Baptist Standard

---

Action Alerts: On April 24, Jewish Currents and the CUNY School of Law will host the launch of the book Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement by incarcerated writer Christopher Blackwell and legal scholar Deborah Zalesne. The event will feature a panel discussion with advocates to  explore the brutal realities of solitary confinement and strategies to end its use. The conversation will also highlight how solitary is being challenged in New York State, especially in light of recent attempts to roll back the HALT Act. The event is free and open to the public, both in-person and online. Register here: Jewish Currents

---

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.

Banner photo: Pope Francis washes the feet of youth in a juvenile detention center in Rome during Holy Week 2013.