New this week from Solitary Watch: 

In her latest piece for Solitary Watch, incarcerated journalist Kwaneta Harris brings attention to the epidemic of suicide and self-harm that plagues U.S. prisons and jails. Rather than receiving support, individuals who attempt suicide or engage in self-harm are often placed in solitary confinement, which is known to worsen mental health and is especially harmful for those with pre-existing conditions. September is suicide prevention month, and Harris reminds us “that behind these concrete walls and razor wire live human beings whose pain is just as real, whose lives are just as valuable, and whose deaths are just as preventable as anyone else’s.” Solitary Watch 

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

The use of solitary confinement in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities has skyrocketed under the Trump administration. In the first four months of Trump’s presidency, the monthly increase in the use of solitary confinement was more than six times the rate recorded at the end of the Biden administration. Additionally, researchers from Harvard Law School and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) found “the average number of vulnerable individuals subjected to solitary confinement nationally increased by approximately 56% per quarter in fiscal year 2025 compared to 2022.” Physicians for Human Rights | According to another recent investigation by the Marshall Project and Univision, the number of detained immigrants who spent at least a day in solitary increased by 41% from December 2024 to August 2025, which alone saw 1,100 solitary placements. Testimony from survivors and their loved ones outline the horrors of solitary confinement in ICE facilities. “It was so cold I tore open the mattress and crawled inside it like a blanket,” reported Faviola Salina Zaraté, who spent two months in isolation before being deported. The Marshall Project | Daniel Cortes De La Valle, who was detained at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center for more than seven months, reported being placed in solitary for attempting suicide. While in solitary, he endured constant light that triggered his epilepsy, biting ants, black mold, and feces in his cell. “It’s like a horror movie,” recalled Cortes Del La Valle. The New York Times | Despite the reports of horrific conditions at existing ICE facilities in Louisiana, a recent emergency declaration from Governor Jeff Landry gave the green light to renovate and repurpose the notorious Camp J at Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola as an ICE detention center. Also known as “the dungeon,” Camp J was once used to house incarcerated people in prolonged solitary confinement. Nora Ahmed, legal director at the ACLU of Louisiana, said that the detention facility at Angola seemed to further the Trump administration’s goal of associating undocumented immigrants with criminals. “Angola’s history as a plantation and the abuse and allegations that have surrounded Angola as an institution is meant to strike fear in the American public,” Ahmed said. The Guardian

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U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino issued a preliminary injunction ordering the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to stop keeping incarcerated people with mental health conditions in solitary confinement at Marcy Correctional Facility. This injunction is in response to a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of nine incarcerated people who claim that the DOCCS violated their constitutional rights and several state laws by holding them in solitary for nearly 24 hours a day and without access to programming, therapy, or treatment. Times Union

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New York State’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) has shared details of their proposed revisions to the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act, which limits solitary confinement in DOCCS facilities. The DOCCS committee’s suggestions include allowing placement in solitary confinement up to three days for protective custody and up to 15 days for “recidivist conduct.” Naila Awan, co-director of policy at the New York Civil Liberties Union, referred to the committee as “an affront to incarcerated New Yorkers” and “an antidemocratic effort to subvert voters’ will.” News 10

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A new hand-drawn animated film, Inside the Valley Sings, depicts vivid creations from the imaginations of three incarcerated people who survived solitary confinement. Frank De Palma explains through an animated version of himself, “These fantasies were as real to me as your life is to you.’’ The film follows De Palma, along with Kiana Calloway and Sunny Jacobs through the worlds they created while confined to 6×9 cells with little to no human contact. “By exploring this unique perspective and phenomenon, my hope is that audiences will understand what survivors have been telling us for years: that solitary confinement is a form of torture, pure and simple,” said Director Nathan Fagan in a statement released alongside the trailer. Inside the Valley Sings

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Author and incarcerated journalist Christopher Blackwell recently sat down with The Progressive to discuss the creation of his new book, Ending Isolation: The Case Against Solitary Confinement. With contributions from legal expert Deborah Zalesne, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Terry Kupers, and incarcerated journalist Kwaneta Harris, the book combines academic and medical research with first-hand testimonies to explore the physical and psychological effects of solitary. “These compelling reflections by people who have been entrapped within the tortures of solitary, should rekindle our abolitionist impulses at an especially critical moment in our history,” wrote Angela Davis in her piece for the book. The Progressive | In an excerpt from the book, Blackwell addresses the devastating impact of climate change on prison conditions. The lack of adequate heat and air conditioning in prisons is especially dangerous to people in solitary, which has been proven to exacerbate serious chronic medical conditions that make a person more vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. “Sometimes I want to cry because I’m so hot and my body feels like it’s melting,” wrote Xandan Gulley, an incarcerated transgender man in Texas who was interviewed for the book. Truthout | Ending Isolation features many currently and formerly incarcerated people who describe the effects of solitary and how advocates are resisting the practice. When asked if there are any circumstances in which solitary is appropriate, Harris wrote, “Absolutely never. There is always a more humane alternative.” Bolts Mag 

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Action Alerts: 

The Journey to Justice Bus Tour is traveling through New Mexico, stopping in Albuquerque at the Downtown Growers’ Market and La Plazita Celebrate the Movement Festival on Saturday, September 27 and at the famous Rail Yards Market on Sunday, September 28, 2025.2025. Visitors can walk through several exhibits inside the bus and meet with local social justice and community resource organizations tabling in the area. Saturday’s festivities will feature music and art making, culminating in a screening of the documentary The Strike. Journey to Justice Bus Tour

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