From the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
As you may know, thousands of prisoners in California prisons waged a hunger strike for three weeks to protest the conditions of their imprisonment, and in particular, the use of long-term solitary confinement. The use of prolonged solitary confinement is not limited to California prisons; as noted in The New York Times editorial, “Cruel Isolation,” the California strike serves, in part, to spotlight the widespread use of prolonged solitary confinement throughout America. The use of prolonged solitary confinement is inhumane, ineffective, and is detrimental to prisoners’ mental and physical health. When a prisoner is held in isolation long enough, it is a form of torture.
Call for an end to the use of prolonged solitary confinement in your state.
More than 500 people in California have signed NRCAT’s new statement asking federal and state governments to end the use of prolonged solitary confinement. NRCAT will now deliver that list of signatures to the California Governor, California State Legislature, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Now we need to work together to improve prison conditions in your state. Please add your voice to the chorus of people of faith who are calling for a change in the treatment of prisoners. Help us reach 500 signatures in your state! Once we reach 500, we will send the statement and the signatures to the governor, state legislature and the department of corrections in your state.
Please sign the statement today!
Let’s work to end the inhumane and barbaric use of prolonged solitary confinement.