New this week from Solitary Watch:

In honor of World Storytelling Day, Solitary Watch, in collaboration with Unlock the Box, highlighted five incarcerated writers whose works significantly contributed to exposing the harms of solitary confinement and other prison conditions in the United States. Complementing  the 2026 World Storytelling Day theme of “Light in the Dark,” the writers each reflect on how their work has illuminated the lives of those behind bars, preventing them from remaining in the dark. “Every word I write from behind these walls is an act of defiance against erasure,” writes Kwaneta Harris, an incarcerated journalist and Solitary Watch Senior Writer. Solitary Watch

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

Republicans in Albany filed a bill that seeks to expand the use of solitary confinement in prisons. Following last year’s wildcat strike, correctional officers claim that such legislation will help them “maintain discipline” in their facilities. The bill was drafted with input from corrections unions and department leaders. Gothamist | While Republicans argue this legislation prioritizes those who are most impacted, Democrats and advocacy organizations see the  bill  as rolling back “crucial and hard-won limits on solitary” established by the 2022 Human Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. Times Union

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Quentin Lewis spent five years in solitary confinement at Wende Correctional Facility learning the law, and is now an in-house counsel for other incarcerated people. He helps others file lawsuits and challenges convictions. He also represents those accused of breaking rules at Wende, under a provision of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act that allows such people to be represented by counsel. Lewis says he has “never been busier,” given the upheaval in New York’s prisons over the last year, since corrections officer staged a wildcat strike. Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative, a group at New York University School of Law, is now trying to work with Lewis to establish an official paralegal certification program at Wende. New York Times

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Despite federal oversight, Massachusetts’s Department of Corrections (MDOC) is experiencing a surge in suicides. Last year, six incarcerated men died from confirmed or apparent suicide in Massachusetts, the highest in years. Reports link the suicides to substance use, lack of mental health care, and the use of behavioral assessment units that resemble solitary confinement. Suicides also spiked among prison officers, with at least twenty reported between 2010 and 2025. The Department of Justice began monitoring the MDOC after finding systemic failures during a 2022 state-wide mental health crisis. However, the recent suicides show there has been little improvement. Mass Live 

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Incarcerated journalist Dennis “Abbasunamis” Mintun describes how he and other gay men in prison live in isolation due to manipulation and abuse. To avoid being placed in solitary confinement for “safety” or becoming victims of violence, Mintun states that most gay men remain closeted. While discrimination and violence has declined, Mintun argues gay men still lack the support and resources needed to protect themselves from less explicit forms of abuse. “In my experience, this type of predator is the most damaging because they increase the emotional isolation and vulnerability of gay men in prison,” said Mintun. Prison Journalism Project

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Steven Chavarria Portillo’s 29-day hunger strike to demand better conditions at ICE’s Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) marks the ninth hunger strike at the facility this year. Located in Tacoma, Washington, NWDC is run for ICE by the private contractor Geo Group. The University of Washington Center for Human Rights found Portillo’s demands consistent with other reports of abuse, unsanitary food, and denial of medical care at NWDC. Despite these strikes, no demands, including an end to solitary confinement, have been met. According to Phil Neff, a research coordinator at the Center, NWDC has “some of the longest solitary confinement placements of any detention facility in the country.” Real Change News

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A federal judge in Colorado denied Randy Platt’s request for a “compassionate release or reduced sentence” after eight years in solitary confinement. Platt claimed that his time in solitary confinement caused irreversible “physical, psychological, and emotional damage.” But U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martínez concluded that he did not provide evidence that his time in solitary confinement alone was sufficient to qualify as an “extraordinary and compelling” reason to reduce his sentence. However, Judge Martínez reaffirmed that solitary confinement is “extreme and atypical,” and hopes for more governmental intervention. The Denver Gazette

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Long-term failures to keep people inside and outside prison safe have led some states to explore alternative carceral practices, according to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice. As of February 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice has investigated 43 facilities for unconstitutional conditions, including excessive use of solitary confinement, physical and sexual violence, and medical neglect. In response, a diverse group of states have begun implementing policies focused on rehabilitation, re-entry, and public safety through initiatives like expanding educational offerings and redesigning housing units. Research finds that buy-in from staff and incarcerated people, robust data collection, and political support are key to successful reforms. Brennan Center

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Solitary Nation, a FRONTLINE archival documentary on solitary confinement, is newly available on Youtube. In the midst of national debate on solitary confinement, the documentary provides historical context and examines the experiences of incarcerated people in solitary in Maine, the officers who monitored them, and a warden trying to reduce the use of solitary in one prison over the span of six months. “It’s like being buried alive,” said Todd Fickett in the 2014 documentary. PBS

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Action Alert:

The End Prison Violence Campaign is urging people to sign their petition in support of women incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correction Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York. In the past month, there have been three reported deaths at the facility, including two suicides. The petition asks for the immediate removal of Deputy Superintendent Michael Blot, whose policies advocates say have made conditions more dangerous, and the passage of legislation to protect the dignity of pregnant and post-partum people, their families, and their children. The petition can be signed here.

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