New this week from Solitary Watch: 

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

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up recruiting initiatives, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, already struggling with staffing shortages, faces a greater reduction of staff as employees leave for more lucrative jobs at ICE. Reductions in staff, compounded by budget cuts and overincarceration, have led to the deterioration of conditions in federal facilities and an increase in the reliance on lockdowns and solitary confinement. ProPublica | Similar circumstances are found elsewhere in the country. In Wisconsin, solitary is the main response to overcrowding and high staff turnover, which disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations. A recent report found that 69 percent of people in solitary confinement in Wisconsin prisons were also part of the state’s mental health case load. Wisconsin Watch | Incarcerated people in New Jersey are placed on facility-wide lockdowns when staffing levels are low, which “can quickly escalate into a humanitarian crisis.” During lockdowns, people often fail to get enough out-of-cell time to shower regularly, let alone continue with work development and other programming. Jersey Vindicator | Although incarcerated people like Calvin Mayfield want to take classes and engage in professional development opportunities, lockdowns make it nearly impossible. Illinois, where Mayfield is incarcerated, saw a surge in lockdowns following the COVID-19 pandemic due to understaffing. “It’s not fair to say, ‘Oh, nobody came to work today, so we’re just not going to let you out.’” said Mayfield. IPM News | As Prison Policy Initiative pointed out in a recent report, focusing on understaffing is the wrong way to look at the problem, and staff recruitment efforts, which have largely failed across the country, are a futile solution. This is because “’understaffing’ is an untreatable symptom of mass incarceration—not a recruitment problem…Many of the issues for which ‘understaffing’ is blamed are fundamental to mass incarceration, and are best addressed through decarceration—not a jobs program for corrections officers or further investments in surveillance and imprisonment.” Prison Policy Initiative

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A recent study published in Population Health examines the relationship between solitary confinement and in-custody deaths. Using data collected from North Carolina between 2021 and 2023, the study found that individuals who spent time in solitary died at more than two times the rate of others. While previous studies have found solitary is associated with higher mortality post-release, this is the first study examining its relationship to in-custody deaths. ScienceDirect

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Members of the Congressional Democratic Women’s Caucus sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership demanding an investigation into and the immediate release of pregnant and post-partum women in immigration detention. “The health and safety of pregnant women should not be threatened as a result of the administration choosing not to adhere to Federal regulations,” wrote the members. The letter also calls for improved staff training and a complete breakdown of metrics related to pregnant and post-partum women, including on the use of any kind of segregation. Democratic Women’s Caucus 

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A yearlong investigation into the Idaho prison system revealed rampant sexual abuse and retaliation against victims. Dozens of currently and formerly incarcerated women told reporters how staff weaponize the disciplinary system to coerce sexual favors and punish those who file PREA reports with solitary confinement. The investigation report offers suggestions for reforms to support survivors, prevent the use of solitary in response to assaults, and increase accountability in the system. Investigate West

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Ohio Juvenile and Probate Judge Timothy Grendell was suspended by the state’s Supreme Court for violating court conduct rules. During the pandemic, Grendell ordered two teenage boys involved in a custody dispute to spend three days in solitary confinement at the Portage-Geauga County Juvenile Detention Center. The Supreme Court’s decision comes after a recent investigation revealed that Grendell’s case was the oldest professional misconduct case on the court’s docket. News5 Cleveland 

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Moses Suarez, an incarcerated man at Eastern New York Correctional Facility, was awarded a $1,950 settlement in his claim against the state, seeking damages for wrongful imprisonment in solitary confinement. Judge Javier Vargas found that the state’s imposition of a 45-day solitary sentence “fell outside the statutory framework” established in the HALT Solitary Confinement Act and awarded him $50 a day for each of the excess 39 days he spent in isolation. NY Daily Record

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Prison Policy Initiative highlighted ending solitary confinement in their list of winnable criminal justice reforms for 2026. PPI recommends that states bring their laws into compliance with the United Nations’ Nelson Mandela Rules, which impose a 15-day limit on solitary confinement. They offer New York’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act as an example of such legislation. Prison Policy Initiative

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