New this week from Solitary Watch:

In a recent press release, Solitary Watch announced that eight incarcerated journalists with first-hand experience of solitary confinement will receive grants through the Ridgeway Reporting Project. The financial and editorial assistance provided by the project will support these journalists’ original reporting on often overlooked topics, including the experience of incarcerated hazmat workers, the isolation of domestic violence survivors, and the impact of solitary on family members, children, and loved ones. “​​The Ridgeway Reporting Project is coming at a critical time in journalism as people are currently getting more of their news from directly impacted reporters than ever before,” said Solitary Watch Editor-in-Chief Juan Haines. “If we want to move toward a more just society, paying attention to people suffering from failed prison policies is vital.” Solitary Watch

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

Former U.S. Representative George Santos, who is serving a seven-year sentence at FCI Fairton in New Jersey, was placed in solitary confinement “for his safety” after receiving death threats. In a letter sent to Representative Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Santos included a hand-drawn map comparing his prior cell to the one he is currently occupying in the Secure Housing Unit (SHU). According to Rep. Greene, Santos is isolated 24 hours a day in a cell with no windows, only allowed showers three times per week, and “is drinking water from the sink.” Both Santos and Greene are calling on President Trump to intervene, either by issuing a full pardon or commuting Santos’s sentence. The South Shore Press | In a recent op-ed, Santos stated that in the SHU he is “treated as if my existence, my health, and my very breath were optional.” Santos went on to describe how he was denied his inhaler for several days and how conditions in the SHU caused his mental health to deteriorate. “When we allow people to be treated as less than human, we erode the foundation of what makes a nation decent,” wrote Santos. The South Shore Press | However, it is important to acknowledge that Representative Greene has a history of only protesting against the inhumane conditions people endure in solitary confinement when those people are her political allies. Solitary Watch

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A recent study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy examines the effect of solitary confinement on illicit drug and alcohol test failure by people recently released on parole. Approximately 30 percent of the 74,000 formerly incarcerated men sampled had experienced solitary confinement, with a median total time spent in solitary of 23 days and including 905 people who were released directly from solitary. Overall, researchers found that solitary confinement increased the likelihood of failed drug tests within the first month of parole, especially among those with previously diagnosed Substance Use Disorder. Science Direct

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Incarcerated individuals at Rikers Island, with the assistance of the Legal Aid Society and a private law firm, are suing Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, the jail’s commissioner, and New York City for violating the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. The lawsuit claims that two units at Rikers are designed so that incarcerated people are automatically placed in solitary confinement. The New York Times | The HALT Act limits the use of solitary confinement in New York to 15 days and bans its use against special populations, including people with mental health conditions and physical disabilities. Four of the incarcerated people represented in the lawsuit suffer from a variety of mental and physical disabilities and are isolated in their cells for 23 or more hours a day. One plaintiff, who has stomach cancer and is confined to a wheelchair, says that he is also being denied access to medical professionals. Queens Daily Eagle

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As the Trump administration continues to increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), many detained immigrants are being transferred to California City Immigration Processing Center (CCIPC), the state’s largest immigration detention facility. Immigrants at the facility report being placed in prolonged solitary confinement in addition to facing lack of medical care and retaliation by staff. In response, more than 100 detained immigrants organized a hunger strike and sit-in to protest the inhumane living conditions and abuse. One person at the facility explained how those who participated in the protests were “placed on 17-hour lockdowns and pepper-sprayed.” The Fresno Bee | CCIPC has also sparked public outcry in California City. This summer, anti-ICE protestors started speaking out when they heard the center would be reopened, and city leaders have also recognized that CCIPC is not complying with state law and its reopening “happened in the cover of darkness.” Many people, including family members and loved ones of immigrants transferred to the facility, are disappointed in the lack of answers from City Council leaders regarding what is happening inside the facility. There is pressure for the Council and Governor Gavin Newsom to address the public’s concerns; however, Newsom’s office has yet to offer any comment. San Francisco Chronicle

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Commissioners in Fulton County, Georgia have released a plan to spend $1.2 billion to renovate the county’s main jail and to build a new facility specially designed for incarcerating people with mental health and medical needs. In a recent op-ed, physician Mark Spencer explains how carceral institutions marketed as social services facilities only cause trauma and are ill-suited environments for healing. Fulton County has a history of being the subject of lawsuits over its treatment of incarcerated people with mental illness, including a 2019 lawsuit for placing women with mental illness in prolonged solitary confinement. Spencer argues that confining such vulnerable populations to “unsanitary and degrading conditions” is not the way to help people or prevent recidivism. Atlanta Community Press Collective

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A group of 19 detained immigrants are on hunger strike after being moved to the new ICE detention facility at Louisiana State Penitentiary Angola. The strikers are asking for proper medical care, mental health care, hygiene products, toilet paper, clean water, and visitation from ICE officers so they can fully discuss their issues with the facility. This facility, also called Louisiana Lockup, was created from the notorious Camp J solitary confinement unit at Angola. The Advocate

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In an opinion piece, William Steele recounts the “barbaric and inhumane torture” he experienced during his 14 years in soliary confinement. He also reflects on rising suicide rates in New York prisons, the intentions behind passing the HALT Act, and how prisons continue to violate the law without repercussions. Times Union

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Stanley Howard, an advocate at Uptown Peoples’ Law Center, describes his experience being wrongfully incarcerated in Illinois for 39 years and spending 16 of those years in solitary confinement. He states that “being in a cell for so long had me depressed, hallucinating, and paranoid.” Howard goes on to relate his experience to research showing Black people and people with mental health conditions are disproportionately placed in solitary confinement. He concludes by advocating for three efforts that have the potential to reduce the use of solitary in Illinois. Chicago Sun Times

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The Journey to Justice Bus Tour made a stop in Seattle two weeks ago and gave survivors of solitary a platform to discuss their experiences and how the trauma of solitary has continued to affect them after being released. This tour was created with the goal of ending solitary confinement and educating people on the long lasting trauma it causes. Eugene Youngblood, who was incarcerated for nearly 30 years, explained how “sometimes even when you’re free, you feel like you’re in solitary because of the trauma it puts on you.” The Seattle Collegian

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Action Alerts: 

This week, the Journey to Justice Bus Tour is traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana. The tour stop on Friday October 3, 2025 will coincide with a teach-in event at Loyola University. On Saturday October 4, 2025, the tour will stop at the Vote and Vibe Party at the Dew Drop Inn and the ISSC Symposium at the St. Charles Faith + Action Center. Visitors can walk through several exhibits inside the bus, including a model solitary confinement cell, and meet with local social justice and community resource organizations tabling in the area. Journey to Justice Tour

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