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Supreme Court Justice Kennedy: “Solitary Confinement Literally Drives Men Mad”

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday used long-term solitary confinement as evidence that the “idea of total incarceration just isn’t working.” Solitary “literally drives men mad,”...

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Voices from ADX: Living “Inside America’s Toughest Prison”

The New York Times Magazine feature story on the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum, or ADX, in Florence, Colorado, appeared under the headline “Inside America’s Toughest Prison.” In...

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At Ohio’s Supermax Prison, a Hunger Strike Ends But Extreme Isolation Remains

Last week, men incarcerated at Ohio’s supermax prison, the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, brought a month-long hunger strike to a close. Between 30 and 40 men had refused all meals since March...

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Law Aimed at Silencing People Convicted of Crimes Is Declared Unconstitutional

On Tuesday, a federal judge struck down a Pennsylvania law that had the potential to severely curtail free speech for people convicted of crimes. The Revictimization Relief Act, enacted last fall, was...

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New Report Documents Brutal Treatment of People with Mental Illness in U.S....

“Across the United States, staff working in jails and prisons have used unnecessary, excessive, and even malicious force on prisoners with mental disabilities such as schizophrenia and bipolar...

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Federal Judge Orders Angola 3’s Albert Woodfox Released After 43 Years in...

Update, June 12, 4:30 pm: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to continue the stay and block release until the State of Louisiana’s appeal is heard, but they have also granted an “expedited”...

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Will Lawsuits and Exposés Lead to Reform of Florida’s Brutal Prisons?

Florida’s prisons have become notorious for their abuse and neglect of the people in their care. Now, as per an agreement between the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Disability Rights...

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Supreme Court Justice Kennedy Invites Constitutional Challenge of Solitary...

Guest Post by Samuel Weiss and Amy Fettig Samuel Weiss is Ford Foundation Fellow at the ACLU’s Center for Justice. Amy Fettig is Senior Staff Counsel at the ACLU’s National Prison Project. In March,...

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Will Revamped Prison Regulations Reduce Solitary Confinement in California?

California prison officials have announced a number of changes to state regulations pertaining to the use of solitary confinement and other forms of extreme isolation. The reforms come in the run-up to...

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After Hunger Strikes, Solitary Reforms Come to California’s Prisons—and Leave...

Four years ago today, approximately 6,600 people in California prisons launched a hunger strike in protest of long-term solitary confinement. The protest would be the first of three large-scale actions...

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Irish Court Blocks Suspect’s Extradition to U.S., Citing Risk of Solitary...

An Irish court has blocked a U.S. extradition request because of the conditions of solitary confinement the accused could face if sent to the United States. Ireland’s High Court determined there was a...

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Kafka and the Debate Over Solitary Confinement

Guest Post by Michael B. Mushlin Michael Mushlin, professor at Pace Law School, has a long history of involvement with prisoners rights as a lawyer and legal scholar. He has lectured and published...

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UN’s “Mandela Rules” to Set New International Limits on Solitary Confinement

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMRs) are being given several long-awaited revisions this year. Among them is a provision that solitary confinement “shall be...

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British Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Prolonged Solitary...

Britain’s highest court has ruled that putting individuals in solitary confinement for an extended period of time without external review is unlawful. The appellants Kamel Bourgass and Tanvir Hussain...

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Voices from Solitary: A Second-by-Second Attack on Your Soul

The following is a collection of excerpts from an interview with Johnny Perez, who went to prison at the age of 21 and served a total of 13 years in various New York City and State facilities. He spent...

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Can International Laws and Standards Help Curb Solitary Confinement in the...

The United States prides itself in being a leader in the international community. But when it comes to some human rights issues—including the use of solitary confinement—the U.S. lags far behind most...

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Chelsea Manning Faces Solitary Confinement for Reading Materials, Other Minor...

Update August 19, 10:45 am:  Chelsea Manning was found guilty at her disciplinary hearing on Tuesday but avoided a sentence of solitary confinement. “I was found guilty of all four charges at today’s...

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In Landmark Settlement, Solitary Confinement to Be Dramatically Reduced in...

California prison officials have agreed to limit the practice of long-term solitary confinement, four years after the first hunger strike began in protest of the practice. Under a historic agreement...

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At Louisiana’s Angola Prison, Lawsuit Claims, the Sick Face Neglect,...

Men incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola, are suing prison officials and the Louisiana Department of Corrections for failing to provide adequate healthcare to the...

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In Open Letter to President Obama, Groups Push for Solitary Confinement Reforms

More than 100 organizations from across the United States sent an open letter to President Obama Friday calling for the elimination of long-term and indefinite solitary confinement. The signatories –...

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