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ACTION CENTER

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We need YOU to help us abolish solitary confinement in the United States.  

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END TORTURE NOW

TAKE ACTION NOW

Representative Cori Bush has introduced landmark legislation to stop torture, save lives, and improve safety for everyone. The End Solitary Confinement Act will prohibit the use of solitary confinement, except for up to a max of 4 hours, and create safe alternatives. 

During his campaign, President Biden vowed he would end the barbaric practice of solitary confinement if he were elected president.  So far, we’ve so no action to live up to his word.  Tell Biden that it’s time to live up to his word.

Your legislators need to hear from you to ensure that ending torture in our prisons is a top priority. Email and tweet your representatives in just a few clicks.  Don’t forget to sign-up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all the ways to engage.

MORE CAMPAIGNS

Make a difference in the fight to end solitary confinement in the United States.  With just one click, you can email state legislators and decision-makers.  The campaigns below are lead by some of our state campaign partners. 

GET INVOLVED LOCALLY

Our movement is as much grassroots as it is national.  It’s vital that we connect with advocacy groups, survivors, and policy makers on the local level so that we can enact change from the ground up.  Ways to connect and share your voice:

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Get to know the ins and outs of the fight to ban solitary confinement through research and learning. Visit the websites of our partners to learn about the various facets of the issue and how survivors of solitary are leading the movement to end this torture.

ADVANCE THE CONVERSATION

Let’s give them something to talk about! Expanding the national conversation about the abuses of solitary confinement is a core part of our mission. It takes the will of the people to enact meaningful change. You can do your part by encouraging conversation around the topic.

SUPPORT LEGISLATION

Passing and implementing legislation that brings the United States into compliance with the Mandela Rules and then fully ends solitary confinement are critical for stopping torture and saving lives. Advocating for and supporting legislation is crucial. We need you to join these efforts because people-power will push policymakers to pass transformational bills.

support executive action

Governors and Mayors across the country have the ability to end solitary confinement in their states and localities today. Similarly, the U.S. President has the power to end solitary confinement in federal prisons and detention centers today. Take action to demand that they end solitary now.

STATE CAMPAIGN PARTNERS

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MONUMENTAL MOVEMENTS

New York

Campaign efforts led by the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC) or #HALTsolitary Campaign resulted in the passage of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act in 2021. HALT limits solitary to no more than 15 days for all people, bans it for young people and other groups, and creates alternatives with at least 7 hours out of cell per day with rehabilitative and therapeutic programming.

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MAKING HISTORY

New Jersey

The New Jersey Prison Justice Watch won passage of the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act– -effectively outlawing solitary confinement in New Jersey. They made history as the first state to pass such sweeping legislation.

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BOLD MOVES

VIRGINIA

The Virginia Coalition Against Solitary Confinement, has introduced bold and sweeping legislation that would ban solitary confinement state-wide, other than when necessary for medical or mental healthcare.

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FIGHTING FOR CHANGE

NEBRASKA

The ACLU of Nebraska, introduced bold legislation to transform the way solitary is used in the state. The bill would limit confinement to 15 days or less, ban its use on vulnerable populations, and create transparency in reporting.

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DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY

ARKANSAS

DecARcerate has played an active and central role in shared efforts to seek change.They have introduced and organized individuals and partner organizations around the state to advocate for data collection on the use of solitary confinement by the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC). In 2021, DecARcerate helped pass HB1470, which bans solitary confinement for pregnant juveniles and places restrictions on its use for pregnant adults.

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PROMOTING RESPONSIBILITY

CONNECTICUT

Campaign efforts led by the Stop Solitary Connecticut (SSCT) Coalition have been focused on passing the PROTECT (Promoting Responsible Oversight & Treatment and Ensuring Correctional Transparency), which provides a legislative vehicle to: stop extreme isolation, end abusive restraints, protect social bonds, promote correctional officer wellness, ensure correctional oversight and accountability.

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SAFER SPACES

WASHINGTON D.C.

Campaign efforts led by DC Justice Lab will advance legislation that significantly reduces reliance on solitary confinement and use of Black Box restraints in the local detention facilities, and ensuring that policymakers, organizers, and the public understand that the use of solitary confinement does not make incarcerated people safer or healthier.

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A SURVIVOR’S NETWORK

GEORGIA

The Out of Isolation, Into Action campaign, led by survivors of solitary confinement at the Southern Center for Human Rights and RestoreHER, is in its early stages. In 2021, efforts have focused on strengthening relationships with survivors & other advocacy organizations, building a robust coalition that can engage unlikely allies and constituencies to expose, challenge and eliminate solitary confinement in Georgia.

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CHANGE FROM WITHIN

LOUISIANA

The Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition is focused on policy changes that reduce the use of solitary confinement for everyone held in custody statewide, including passage of a law banning the use for pregnant women and advocating for more laws to ban for those with serious mental illness.

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COMPELLING COMPLIANCE

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement (MASC) helped pass MA’s strongest criminal law reform bill in decades, which included significant changes to the state’s solitary confinement policies and practices. The Dept. of Corrections has failed to implement the mandates. New legislation filed this session will make the legal requirements explicitly clear and effectively end solitary confinement in MA.

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A FAMILY AFFAIR

MICHIGAN

Campaign efforts led by Open MI Door Campaign seek to end the harmful practice of solitary confinement in Michigan through a family/survivor-led coalition. While mapping out a statewide plan to implement safe alternatives to segregation, Open MI Door educates the public on how solitary confinement impacts families and communities.

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PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE

NEW MEXICO

Campaign efforts led by ACLU-NM have focused on the passage of the Restricted Housing Act legislation. In 2019, they were successful in passing the bill that prohibits the use of solitary confinement for those under 18 and pregnant individuals, while restricting the use of solitary confinement for people living with serious mental illness.

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MAJOR IMPACT FOR MINORS

NEVADA

Campaign efforts led by the ACLU-NV Ending solitary confinement in Nevada have been successful in limiting the practice of solitary in juvenile facilities, and within the Department of Corrections. They are currently working to expand the law to local facilities.

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SOLIDARITY NOT SOLITARY

PENNSYLVANIA

Campaign efforts led by the Pennsylvania Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC) are focused on ending solitary confinement in Pennsylvania state prisons and jails, centering survivors of solitary confinement and their families in community-led campaigns, like #solidaritynotsolitary.

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CLOSING TIME

RHODE ISLAND

Campaign efforts led by the Close High Side Campaign are focused on shutting down Rhode Island’s most restrictive facility, the High Security Center, also known as High Side, which is one of the most expensive prisons to run in the US. Approximately 120 prisoners, or 5% of RIDOC’s population, are in solitary—including disciplinary and administrative confinement.

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HARNESSING PUBLIC ENERGY

North Carolina

The Stop Torture in NC Prisons Campaign is aimed at ending the use of solitary confinement in NC prisons. Convened by Disability Rights North Carolina, the campaign will harness and target the growing public energy around criminal justice reform that will utilize existing partnerships and forge new collaborative relationships to place consistent pressure on the Governor and State lawmakers to adopt the Task Force recommendations, effectively ending long-term solitary confinement in North Carolina.

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A VICTORY FOR YOUTH

WASHINGTON

Campaign efforts led by the ACLU-WA are focused on implementing the recent legislative victory—banning solitary of youth statewide, and beginning to tackle the adult solitary population through policy and legislative changes. They have recently led both litigation and policy work to address solitary confinement in adult and juvenile facilities across the state.

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PASS IT ON

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END
TORTURE
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