New this week from Solitary Watch: 

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

A recent report from Amnesty International found that immigrants housed at “Alligator Alcatraz” and a second Florida detention facility face “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” that may violate international law. The report describes severe overcrowding, lack of medical care, and “alarming” disciplinary practices, including the use of prolonged solitary confinement and a 2-by-2 foot outdoor cage where immigrants are left shackled for days without water. The Guardian | According to the report, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told Amnesty that the minimum solitary sentence is 24 hours, but that people can be held there for up to 30 days. During a tour of the solitary unit at Krome North Services Processing Center, a man pushed a sign asking for help through the metal flap in his cell door. When an Amnesty staffer stopped to speak with the man, who stated that he has been waiting 37 days to receive medical attention for a broken hand, a guard began to repeatedly smash the man’s injured hand with the metal flap in the door to his solitary cell. Amnesty International is now calling on the United Nations to appoint an independent monitor to investigate both facilities. Florida Phoenix

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Over the last decade, thousands of people incarcerated at Florida’s Gulf Coast Correctional Facility (GCCF) have filed complaints of staff abuse and misconduct. Interviews conducted by a team of attorneys and advocates revealed a prolific culture of violence at the facility, which is reinforced by its overuse of solitary confinement. According to the investigation, people in solitary confinement are often punished with property restriction, which involves stripping an individual down to their underwear and removing all items from their cell, or withholding meals. Southern Poverty Law Center

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During his 300 days in solitary confinement, Samuel Smalls realized that the dogs being walked in the yard received more freedom than he did. Smalls is one of 6,000 incarcerated people in Maryland who spent time in solitary confinement in 2024. As the use of solitary confinement continues to increase in Maryland, so has the rate of violent assaults among incarcerated people and by staff. The Baltimore Banner | According to a government report, disciplinary segregation accounted for two-thirds of all solitary confinement placements in 2024—a 38 percent increase from 2023. Although Maryland officials continue to assert that solitary is essential for managing violence in the state’s prisons, they claim that they are working on ways to decrease the number and duration of placements. WYPR 

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At Dauphine County Jail in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, individuals are held in near-constant isolation without access to sunlight or fresh air. Imhotep Muhammad was allowed outside just once during the 26 months he spent in pretrial detention at the jail before being acquitted of the charges against him. As a result of these conditions, Muhammad suffered from severe Vitamin D and B12 deficiency which caused his health to deteriorate even after his release. Muhammad’s only day of outdoor recreation while incarcerated at Dauphine, Labor Day 2024, was the first time in 20 years that people held at the facility were allowed outside. PennLive 

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In their annual report, the New Jersey Office of the Corrections Ombudsperson has raised concerns about the fragility of the state’s prison system. Compiling notes from in-person inspections of the state’s nine prisons and testimony from more than one thousand interviews with incarcerated people, the report highlights severe staffing shortages and the continued deterioration of solitary confinement units. According to advocates, the conditions of these units violate the standards of care set by the state’s Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (ICRA) of 2019. NJ.com

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After Jerry Cintron overdosed on a fentanyl-laced pill while incarcerated at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC), he refused to cooperate when investigators asked where he got the drugs. In response, through a series of disciplinary hearings, RIDOC determined the appropriate punishment for Cintron was 450 days in solitary confinement. Cintron has since sued RIDOC, claiming that his solitary sentence caused his physical and mental health to deteriorate and officers ignored his appeals for help, which violated his Eighth Amendment rights. The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in Cintron’s favor, stating that, while solitary is justified to improve safety, officials “cannot—in the face of that prisoner’s deterioration—perpetuate the kind of social, sensory, and sleep deprivation that Cintron alleges.” Corrections1 

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Tariq MaQbool began studying law while in solitary confinement at Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny, New Jersey. Despite his best efforts, he was still unable to understand his own court proceedings. However, instead of giving up, he joined the Inmate Legal Association following his transfer to the New Jersey State Penitentiary. Now as a prison lawyer, he advocates for those who are unable to access professional legal services. Prison lawyers like MaQbool often face retaliation for their work, including placement in solitary confinement. Al Jazeera

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