New this week from Solitary Watch:

In exciting funding news, we’ve just received a second matching funds grant, from The Public Concern Foundation. For the next $4,000 given before December 31st, all donations will be TRIPLED, and we couldn’t be more grateful. That means a gift of $50 now is actually $150 to Solitary Watch! Even monthly gifts—of any size—will be matched for a year: $5/month x 12 x 3 = $180! A triple match is a very, very big deal for us. As a small operation, we don’t have the resources to spend all year fundraising—this end-of-year push with NewsMatch is the most we’ll bother you, and the funds we raise now will help set up so much of what we do in 2026. Make a $5 Monthly Donation to Solitary Watch

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The latest in Solitary Watch’s series of fact sheets examines how LGBTQ+ people are uniquely impacted by solitary confinement. Due to the disproportionate rates of violence and abuse faced by many incarcerated LGBTQ+ people, they are often placed in solitary for “protection.” Additionally, LGBTQ+ people face higher rates of solitary in retaliation for refusing to accept such violence and as punishment for expressing their sexuality or gender identity. Visit our resources page to learn more about the impact of solitary on LGBTQ+ people or issues covered in other fact sheets.  Solitary Watch 

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

Two men who spent time at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz” told reporters that officers use a tiny, outdoor cage to confine and punish migrants. Their testimony corroborates an earlier report by Amnesty International, which described the outdoor confinement areas as “extreme forms of punishment and torture.” The men stated that “the box” is used as a replacement for solitary confinement and compared the dimensions to that of a vertical coffin. NOTUS | Other ICE detention facilities are know to use solitary confinement for vindictive punishment and retaliation. At the privately owned California City Detention Center (CCDC), migrants are repeatedly denied medical care and placed in solitary for minor infractions like asking to shower beyond allotted times. ACLU | As ICE continues to open new facilities across the country, many are renovated former prisons with their own histories of abuse and excessive solitary use. NPR 

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Incarcerated journalist and Ridgeway Reporting Project grant recipient Kenneth Shaun “Swift Justice” Traywick is entering the second full month of his hunger strike over conditions of confinement. His family and advocates are calling on the Alabama Department of Corrections for increased clarity as to who is responsible for caring for Traywick during this medical emergency and what safeguards are in place to ensure proper oversight. Alabama Political Reporter | Updates on Traywick’s strike come as another man, Gary Green, enters the third week of his own hunger strike over segregation at the 4th Avenue Jail in Maricopa County, Arizona. Green, who is in solitary confinement, began his hunger strike over allegations that Black people were assigned housing placements only with other Black people, whereas White and Hispanic people were allowed to be housed together. Financial Post | Both men are entering the stage of hunger strike where the risk of death drastically increases due to susceptibility to infection and possible cardiovascular collapse. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 

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The Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) is calling on the state’s legislature to loosen restrictions on solitary confinement. The requested changes would eliminate the in-person programming requirements for people in protective custody and the 30-day limit on solitary confinement during facility-wide lockdowns. According to DCR Director Tommy Johnson, the department is unable to comply with the current law and is asking for language revisions that would instead state that the department should “strive,” rather than be required, to do these things. Hawaii Public Radio 

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So far this year, 18 people have died while in Alaska Department of Corrections custody. Advocates cite “widespread failures and dysfunction” in the system as the reason for the high number of deaths. Alaska’s prison population is aging and many deaths are attributed to natural causes; however, advocates say that the real culprit is lack of medical and mental health care. In some cases, people with suicidal ideation are placed in solitary confinement until they say they are well, rather than receiving care. Alaska Beacon 

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The Trump administration’s continued attempts to dismantle the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is stripping incarcerated people of the little protections they have against sexual violence. At the same time, the burden of protection placed on institutions of confinement by PREA often leads to the overuse of solitary confinement. Labeled as “protective custody,” the most common response to allegations filed under PREA is the placement of vulnerable people in isolation. While the mechanisms of protection under PREA should be changed to rely less on solitary confinement, the Trump administration’s hollowing out of the law makes all carceral conditions less safe. NewsOne 

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law a set of reforms aimed at increasing prison safety and oversight. The codification of these reforms comes nearly a year after the high-profile beating death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Center sparked public outrage. As advocates have pushed for increased oversight and accountability measures, representatives of prison guards have fought back against existing reforms outlined in the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. The newly passed provisions include requirements for 24/7 video surveillance, studies of in-custody deaths, and increased investigation transparency. New York Times 

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Incarcerated people are frequently denied the right to testify in front of lawmakers, preventing them from sharing their unique insight into the issues that directly impact their lives. Simultaneously, incarcerated people have been essential in aiding efforts to reform conditions and limit practices like solitary confinement. Yet, even when they are allowed to speak on such matters, incarcerated advocates often face retaliation from prison staff and punishments like prolonged solitary. Prison Policy Initiative 

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Nick Reiner, the son of recently murdered film director Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer Michele Singer Reiner, is being held on suicide watch in solitary confinement. According to his attorneys, Reiner is prohibited from communicating with anyone outside of his legal counsel and will remain in isolation indefinitely. While on-site doctors determined Reiner to have a “mental disability,” he was cleared to appear in court; however, he did so wearing a “suicide smock.” People

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