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

James Ramirez is just one of an “alarmingly high” number of people who have died while in custody at Cibola County Correctional Center (CCCC), a federal facility outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, that primarily holds people detained by the U.S. Marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Video footage, medical examiner reports, a wrongful death lawsuit, and police reports detail the medical crisis that immediately preceded Ramirez’s death in solitary confinement. “It’s pretty damn clear what killed him—it’s the lack of medical care,” said Parrish Collins, a civil rights attorney representing Ramirez’s estate. The lawsuit alleges, staff delayed transporting Ramirez to the hospital for several hours after he sustained “a baseball-sized lump” and lacerations from “repeatedly smashing [his] face on concrete.” Ramirez, who suffered from acute mental illness, returned to CCCC the same day, where staff “withdrew all chance of medical oversight and care from Mr Ramirez by putting him into solitary confinement, away from medical staff.”  The Guardian

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Chaofeng Ge’s suicide while in custody at Moshannon Valley Processing Center is the second to happen at Pennsylvania’s largest ICE detention center, and has sparked calls to shut down the facility. Franklin Okpu, Moshannon’s first death, was a Cameroonian immigrant who died in solitary confinement in 2023. According to ICE data, about 144 detainees were in solitary confinement at Moshannon each month between April 2024 and June 2025—a figure almost double that of the next closest facility. Okpu and Ge’s deaths, as well as complaints regarding excessive solitary usage, have triggered protests and a federal investigation into the facility. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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The Baker County Detention Center (BCDC) in Florida faces two federal lawsuits over the use of solitary confinement. The ACLU of Florida is suing on behalf of Guillermo Serrabi, who was held in solitary confinement for 88 days in an alleged attempt to pressure him to sign papers speeding up his deportation. An earlier lawsuit also accuses BCDC staff of punishing a woman with solitary confinement because they did not understand her pleas for feminine hygiene products in Spanish. Both lawsuits point out the history of racial discrimination, medical neglect, and excessive force at BCDC, and have caused many to urge Governor Ron DeSantis to close the facility. News4Jax

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The Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement (MHASC) and HALT Solitary Campaigns released a report analyzing disciplinary actions during the first year the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act was implemented. According to the report, the number of disciplinary hearings resulting in a solitary sentence decreased by 54% in the first year of the HALT Act, compared to the prior year. However, it also found that many New York prisons impose extremely long sentences for people in units meant to be alternatives to solitary and continue to place people in solitary for reasons that violate the law. NYCAIC

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In a new series entitled “Beyond the Concrete Box: Human Stories from Solitary,” the ACLU of New Mexico interviews several people incarcerated at the Penitentiary of New Mexico. In the introductory piece, litigation specialist Lalita Moskowitz recounts how she “found inspiration in one of the cruelest of all places” after hearing about the lives and hopes of three incarcerated men in solitary. Each of the subsequent pieces in the series will tell a different story. ACLU New Mexico

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Connecticut State Senator Saud Anwar requested to be put in solitary confinement at Garner Correctional Facility for 72 hours so he could better understand what his constituents endure. Although Connecticut passed legislation in 2022 placing limitations on solitary confinement, Anwar has called attention to the high rate of suicide and solitary confinement at the facility, which primarily houses men with severe mental health issues. “The true character of us as the people of Connecticut would be reflected on how we treat the people in the prison and how we are dealing with them with respect to solitary confinement,” said Anwar. Ultimately, the Department of Corrections (DOC) denied Anwar’s request, citing “substantial safety, security, and logistical concerns.” Hartford Courant 

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BigXthaPlug, a mixed-genre country and hip-hop artist, discusses his journey from being in solitary confinement to becoming a prominent rapper. The psychological toll of solitary compelled BigXthaPlug to write his first songs and rhymes on blank medical forms he requested from staff. “I knew that I was mentally gone was when I was counting the bricks in the room,” he recalled. “One day I just screamed out my door, ‘How the hell do y’all stay sane? How are y’all able to wake up every day and be good?’” What came back were the voices of others in his solitary unit, encouraging him to write. New York Times 

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Part documentary and part visual album, the newly released Songs From the Hole tells the story of James Jacobs, who also found hope through writing music while in solitary as a youth. The film is based on the true story of hip-hop artist JJ’88 and the record label he runs out of Soledad Prison in California. The film is streaming on Netflix. NY Times

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Action Alerts: 

FAMM, a non-profit organization advocating for a fair justice system, is holding a policy briefing on prison lockdowns next Wednesday, August 27th, 2025, at 1:00 pm EST. Lockdowns perpetuate the conditions of solitary on a unit or prison-wide scale and are occurring more frequently across the country. FAMM

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Wisdom, a network of Wisconsin-based faith organizations, is holding a Day of Action on Saturday, August 23, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm CST, outside the Governor’s Mansion (99 Cambridge Road, Madison, WI 53704). During the event, participants will hear from speakers and stand in solidarity, urging state legislators to close failing prisons across Wisconsin and invest in proven community-based solutions. More information can be found here. Wisdom

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