New this week from Solitary Watch: 

In her latest piece, incarcerated journalist and Solitary Watch Contributing Writer Kwaneta Harris exposes the systemic abuse and psychological violence faced by LGBTQAI+ individuals in prison and solitary confinement. Harris’s writing highlights how incarceration punishes queer identity while mainstream Pride celebrations too often ignore the experiences of those inside. The piece acts as a call to action for true solidarity within the queer community, because for liberation to be truly meaningful it must include the identities of those incarcerated. Solitary Watch 

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

Justyna Rzewinski, a licensed clinical social worker, writes about the horrific practices she witnessed on Rikers Island. One practice,  commonly referred to as “deadlocking”  by corrections officers, involves isolating incarcerated individuals in mental health units within a single-occupancy cell for weeks or months. Deadlocked people are deprived of sunlight, human contact, and access to their medication, all under the guise of security. Rzwewinski became a whistleblower and reported the use of solitary confinement as a form of psychological torture on the incarcerated populations she worked with. The Marshall Project

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Following the deadly beating of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility, New York State officials vowed to implement reforms to hold prison staff accountable for brutalizing incarcerated people. The New York Civil Liberties Union asserts that in response, corrections officers across New York went on strike to avoid consequences for violent misuses of power under New York’s HALT Solitary Confinement Act. Although the strike ended, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) continues to subvert the law and subject the people of New York to the inhumane practice of solitary confinement. NYCLU

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In Perttu v. Richards, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the right to a jury trial for incarcerated individuals who were forcibly prevented from filing a prison grievance by abuse or retaliation. The decision established that incarcerated people have the right to access legal resources in response to prison grievances under the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), making barriers to legal action unlawful. Davis Vanguard

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For years, Wisconsin prisons have been the subject of protests over extended lockdowns,  documented water safety violations, abuse by staff, and mental health crises. The story of Wisconsin’s journey to becoming the state with the most people incarcerated per capita is long and ends with incarcerated people continuing to face neglect and forced isolation through solitary confinement. Still, growing resistance to the harmful carceral system is driving efforts to reimagine what can be done to fix the widespread issues caused by mass incarceration in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Watch 

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In what has grown to be a nearly month-long protest, more than 500 incarcerated people across California are on hunger strike to protest restrictions imposed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). According to a CDCR press-release, 34,000 incarcerated individuals were placed on lockdown with tablet and telephone access, rehabilitative programming, and visitation suspended due to reports of rising violence, drug overdoses, and contraband in the California prison system. Ivy Press | Following arguments by experts and advocates that these conditions amount to collective punishment and mass solitary confinement, the CDCR rolled back restrictions at nine facilities. However, CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber continues to emphasize the need for such measures despite their impact on programming and communications. KFI AM 640

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In a touching letter to her teenage self, Solitary Watch Contributing Writer Kwaneta Harris emphasizes the power of creative writing and describes how her words serve as both a means of expression and empowerment. Narratively

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Action Alerts:

Solitary Watch mourns the passing, on June 23 at age 90, of Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement founder Moya Atkinson. A lifelong activist, Moya dedicated her final decade to the cause of ending solitary confinement and was a good friend to Solitary Watch. Visit the SWAASC website to learn more, sign up for their newsletter, get involved, take one of their webinars for professionals, or support their work. Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement

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