Feb 5, 2016
Dear Friends,
In response to President Obama’s adoption of new standards on solitary confinement for federal prisons and guidelines for all prisons and jails nationwide, NRCAT unpacks what this historic turn means for our collective work to end the torture of prolonged isolation, without exception:
NRCAT in the News
- NRCAT Board Member and President of the Hip Hop Caucus, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr. joins Mr. Terrence Slater in No Turning Back, Opinion: Obama’s action exposes the torture of solitary confinement for Fusion, noting, “The days of keeping solitary in the shadows are over.”
- In The Guardian, Crackdown on solitary confinement begins, but a culture of secrecy remains, Rev. Laura Markle Downton calls for “therapeutic interventions that involve treatment not punishment.”
- In Labor Unions Should Heed Obama's Call to Reform Solitary Confinement for the Huffington Post, Rev. Ron Stief says “correctional officers and their unions need to join the growing chorus to shut down solitary confinement in the U.S., not only to get on the right side of one of the major human rights issues of our day, but to address the long overdue subject of the well-being of workers in U.S. prisons and jails.”
- In a letter to the Washington Post, Mr. Obama's smart move to reduce solitary confinement, Obinna Woko of Irvington, N.J. spotlights an upcoming conference on the business of incarceration in the U.S. that will include NRCAT's solitary-confinement replica.
This is a ground-breaking time in our work to end the torture of solitary confinement. We’ve turned a major corner. Now it’s time to leverage this momentum in every state-- to chart a new path rooted in human rights and human dignity, without exception.
In community,
Ron, Laura, Matt, T.C., Carla, and Shenandoah - The NRCAT Team
PS - For links to the DOJ report and recommendations, statements from faith groups, and more visit our website.
