NEWS
On October 1, 2024, NJPJW held a virtual press conference to release our “Isolated Voices: The State of Solitary in NJ” report.
Below are the media outlets who covered the event:
NJ Spotlight: “NJ Violates Solitary Confinement Law”
NJ Monitor: “ NJ Prisons Violate Law Restricting Solitary Confinement”
The Appeal: “NJ Prisons Violate State Solitary Confinement Restrictions”
New Jersey Prison Justice Watch condemns abuse at the only women's prison in New Jersey. Please join us in our efforts to hold accountable all who harm members of our New Jersey family in prisons across New Jersey. Read the full statement here.
We call for anyone incarcerated to have the option of taking the COVID vaccine without being forced to. Read the full letter here.
NJ-PJW drafted and submitted a letter to the New Jersey Department of Corrections, calling for anyone incarcerated to have the option of taking the COVID vaccine without being forced to. Read the full letter here.
450 Cars gathered for the #SayTheirNames Funeral Procession & Call to Action. We memorialized the lives of those so needlesly killed by COVID in NJ Prisons and Demand that Gov. Murphy Sigsn S2519.
Check out the Event Page for Photos, Videos, News & Media & more!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN ONTO THIS LETTER
March 20, 2020
Dear Governor Murphy and Commissioner Hicks,
We, the undersigned, strongly urge you to take action to curb the spread of COVID-19 in all New Jersey correctional facilities. This virus presents a serious threat to the general public, warranting extreme vigilance and precaution; and for people incarcerated in our state and county institutions, this pandemic will likely have an even more severe and deadly impact, unless you take swift and decisive action.
Prisons are known to be incubators of infectious disease, as we have seen even recently with otherwise manageable infirmities like the flu, H1N1, and mumps. Furthermore, people in prison are uniquely susceptible to this virus due to under-resourced medical services, crowded conditions, and restricted access to personal hygiene supplies and services. We know that people who are elderly or with compromised immune systems are at special risk of contracting COVID-19, and so any outbreak in prison or jail would immediately threaten the lives of elderly residents as well as the high number of those with preexisting chronic and infectious diseases.
We are aware of and grateful for certain precautions that are already underway to prevent and slow the spread of this disease among our incarcerated populations, but the action must be much more aggressive, as “COVID-19 related screens” and restriction of visitation will not be sufficient to prevent the imminent spread of this deadly virus.
Informed by the research of the Prison Policy Initiative, the Justice Collaborative, and the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, we advise you to take each and all of the following actions on this checklist, to save the lives of incarcerated persons and their communities.
Reduce the number of ill or vulnerable people in all correctional facilities.
This entails:
Releasing through clemency, commutation or parole, all elderly incarcerated people, unless they pose a clear and imminent risk to the public.
Releasing, to appropriate parole, all populations with health conditions that put them at disproportionate risk, as identified by the Center for Disease Control.
Releasing, to appropriate parole, all who are currently incarcerated, but who have anticipated release dates in 2020 and 2021.
Advocating for the release of people in federal immigration detention in New Jersey.
Advocating for the release of those held in pretrial detention, unless they pose an imminent risk to the public.
Reduce institutional admission through changes in police, prosecution, immigration and judicial practices.
Suspending all unnecessary parole meetings and technical violations that lead to re-incarceration.
Expediting the implementation of S761, which ensures release of people eligible for administrative parole.
Conducting pre-admission screenings and diversion for those who otherwise would pose a risk to the incarcerated population.
Conducting universal and comprehensive screening of all persons entering correctional facilities, and requiring effective sanitation practices from all visitors and staff.
Provide free education and sanitation supplies to all institutional staff and incarcerated people.
This entails:
Distributing educational materials to all incarcerated people, in multiple languages and multiple forms, that clearly communicate preventative practices.
Providing hygiene and sanitation supplies, free of charge, to every staff, visitor, and incarcerated person.
Improving and maintaining rigorous sanitation of facilities.
Improve access to healthcare and wellness services for incarcerated people.
This entails:
Eliminating medical co-pays within prisons.
Eliminating barriers to communications with families and loved ones.
Advocating for distribution of testing kits and other necessary resources from the federal government.
Expand intervention policies to comparable institutions and programs.
This entails:
Advocating for the application of comparable assessment, population reduction, and medical access protocols to psychiatric units and psychiatric hospitals.
Applying comparable assessment, population reduction, and medical access protocols to Juvenile Justice Commission Secure Care Facilities and Residential Community Homes.
Provide housing vouchers or other appropriate housing assistance for all released populations.
Provide public information on all COVID-19 related interventions.
This entails:
Collection of data regarding interventions and outcomes of preventative, assessment, and treatment practices.
Releasing to the public the specific plans and procedures for addressing COVID-19 concerns for all state, local, and federal institutions.
We are deeply grateful for your concern, attention, and hard work on behalf of all New Jersey residents during this difficult moment. And we are thrilled to offer support as you seek to implement these urgent and necessary interventions.
Gov. Murphy answers call for change from advocates and solitary survivors
New Jersey cemented its place as a national leader in criminal justice reform with Governor Phil Murphy signing the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (A314/S3261) into law. Following an advocacy effort led by survivors of prolonged isolation that has spanned the better part of the decade, solitary confinement will now be strictly limited in the Garden State.
“The agony of solitary confinement is that it doesn’t just lock up your body – it locks in your mind. For New Jersey to institute dramatic restrictions on solitary acknowledges the suffering we’ve endured, along with the scars we’ll bear for the rest of our lives. I’ve said before that solitary confinement is pure evil, incapable of resulting in anything but dehumanization and degradation – but as of today, I can point to one very small exception: all that I went through strengthened my voice to bring us closer to the goal of ending this diabolical practice once and for all,” said Nafeesah Goldsmith, a community organizer and a survivor of solitary confinement.
On July 10, a day before the signing, advocates with ACLU-NJ and the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement delivered an open letter to Gov. Murphy urging him to make the bill law. The letter’s 682 signatories included prominent national and local organizations – including the American Friends Service Committee, Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture – along with hundreds of individuals throughout the state and the country. Altogether, 19 national and international organizations, 76 New Jersey-based organizations, 13 organizations from other states, 37 faith congregations, and 537 individuals joined forces through the letter to urge Gov. Murphy to sign the bill into law.
“To live in prolonged solitary confinement is to be denied your basic humanity, and to experience such extreme loneliness that it can feel as if the world has forgotten you,” said Justice Rountree, an organizer with NJ-CAIC and a survivor of prolonged solitary confinement in New Jersey. “Today, because of Gov. Murphy’s signature, those who have ever been in solitary, and those who are held in isolated confinement now, know they are not forgotten. Survivors of solitary know that because of their collective efforts, New Jersey will no longer maintain the status quo of their suffering.”
Once the law goes into effect, on August 1, 2020, New Jersey law will prohibit prisons and jails from keeping anyone in solitary confinement for more than 20 consecutive days or longer than 30 days during a 60-day period. It also prohibits any use of solitary confinement for certain vulnerable populations, such as people living with mental illness, people who are pregnant, and people who are LGBT.
“I’m immensely proud to be a New Jerseyan today,” said Lydia Thornton, a survivor of solitary confinement who spent over nine months in isolation. “Governor Murphy has heard our collective call for change, and he has answered by signing a bill that begins placing restrictions on this unjust practice and places the Garden State as a national leader on criminal justice reform.”
The new law demands mental health evaluations before and during placement in solitary confinement, requires data collection and reporting, and requires both state prisons and county jails – including those that have immigration detention units – to ensure these important protections.
“Governor Murphy’s decision to enact the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act into law is one that goes far beyond signing a bill – it will be felt by every person living with the lifelong pain of prolonged isolation. With this monumental step toward justice, I’m hopeful for the day when the suffering of solitary confinement, past and present, will be a distant memory,” said Ron Pierce, the democracy and justice fellow at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and a survivor of solitary confinement who spent four years in isolation.
According to the United Nations, prolonged isolation can amount to torture, and survivors of solitary confinement have continued to echo that same warning.
This law is a testament to its driving force: the voices of survivors of solitary confinement who led this movement to stop the suffering they were forced to endure. No law can make up for the lives that have been lost – no policy can reclaim the futures that have been sacrificed to the torment of prolonged solitary confinement – but this law acknowledges that no one deserves to forfeit their humanity in long-term isolation. This turning point for New Jersey is a milestone in a powerful, unyielding national movement. We know New Jersey’s historic step forward will inspire advocates and lawmakers throughout the country to make prolonged solitary confinement a thing of the past. We applaud Governor Murphy and the Legislature, particularly prime sponsors Senators Nellie Pou and Sandra Cunningham, and Assemblymembers Nancy Pinkin, Shavonda E. Sumter, and Valerie Vainieri Huttle, for prioritizing humanity by passing and signing this bill into law,” said ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha.
When a similar bill passed the state Legislature in 2016, Governor Chris Christie vetoed the legislation, falsely claiming that solitary confinement was “a problem that does not exist in New Jersey.” Governor Murphy’s decision to sign the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act recognizes what survivors have said all along: solitary confinement is immoral, inhuman, and must become a practice of the past.
“The voices of survivors of solitary confinement, and their strength in summoning up some of the worst moments of their lives to stop the routine use of prolonged isolation, have been the moral ballast responsible for making these historic restrictions law. The power of this movement – led by survivors who have refused to stand by while others experience the agony of prolonged isolation – can serve as a guide for others around the nation to act on the imperative of ending long-term solitary confinement,” said J. Amos Caley, lead organizer of the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement.
With the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act now law, New Jersey has recognized that solitary confinement causes lifelong harms no matter the name. As the Garden State begins to implement these necessary restrictions and important protections, the ACLU-NJ and its partners will work to keep protections as strong as possible during implementation, along with advocacy to ensure that county jails and state prisons follow the law.
“The far-reaching impact of our advocacy shows that not only are we making monumental strides in criminal justice reform here in New Jersey, but other states are poised to follow closely behind,” said ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney Tess Borden. “Survivors of solitary confinement have dedicated their lives to informing and educating those in power about the lifelong harms of isolation, and we’re proud of our lawmakers for heeding their call in the Garden State.”
The New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement formed as a coalition of survivors and organizations in 2012, with an array of national, state, and local organizations among its membership: the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Program, Amnesty International USA, Association of Black Psychologists - New Jersey Chapter, Campaign to End the New Jim Crow - Trenton and Princeton Chapter, Community Legal & Advocacy Services Project, Green Party of New Jersey, Health Professionals and Allied Employees of New Jersey, Integrated Justice Alliance, Jewish Alliance for Change, Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of New Jersey, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, NeighborCorps Reentry Services of Middlesex County, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, People's Organization for Progress, Salvation and Social Justice Coalition, Solidarity 22, Students for Prison Education and Reform, Princeton University, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey, United Methodist Church Board of Church and Society - Greater New Jersey, Women Who Never Give Up and many additional survivors, advocates, faith leaders, and committees in New Jersey.
“New Jersey has taken a huge step forward today by limiting solitary confinement to 20 days and eliminating it entirely for vulnerable populations. The UN defines long-term solitary confinement as torture, and it is never appropriate to place people who are pregnant, have mental illness, youth or the elderly in solitary. We commend Governor Murphy for signing this bill, which will serve as an example for the rest of the country,” said Jessica Sandoval, national campaign strategist with Unblock the Box, a 10-year campaign to end solitary confinement that includes the ACLU as a member, along with other organizations.
We have sent the attached open letter to Gov. Murphy urging him to sign the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act. Signatories on the letter include 19 national and international organizations, 76 New Jersey-based organizations, 13 organizations from other states, 37 faith congregations, and 537 individuals.
July 10, 2019
Dear Governor Murphy,
Isolated confinement, by any name, is immoral, inhumane, and ineffective. There is a better way. The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (A314/S3261) codifies into law important time limits on isolation as well as crucial protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people with developmental disabilities, pregnant women, and others.
After Governor Christie vetoed a similar bill in 2016, you joined the chorus of faith leaders, advocates, and survivors of the torturous practice when we publicly rebuked him for his cruelty.
The time has come for you to stand behind us once more, joining the will of the people and progressive corrections professionals around the country.
We, the undersigned, strongly urge you to sign The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act into law, immediately.
Sincerely,
National Organizations: Amnesty International USA; Human Rights Watch; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; National Religious Campaign Against Torture; T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; Unlock the Box Campaign; American Civil Liberties Union; Equal Justice Initiative; The Southern Poverty Law Center; Southern Center for Human Rights; LatinoJustice PRLDEF; National Alliance on Mental Illness; National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH); National Center for Lesbian Rights; Campaign for Youth Justice; Center for Children's Law and Policy; Juvenile Law Center; The Bail Project; Social Workers Against Solitary Confinement;
New Jersey Organizations: New Jersey Working Families; New Jersey State Conference NAACP; New Jersey Policy Perspective; American Civil Liberties Union of NJ; Latino Action Network; Garden State Equality; American Friends Service Committee; New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; New Jersey Citizen Action; Fair Share House Center; Anti-Poverty Network of NJ; SEIU 32BJ; CWA-NJ; NJ State Industrial Union Council; Make the Road New Jersey; NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice; Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center; Cosecha New Jersey ; People's Organization for Progress; Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey; National Organization for Women of New Jersey; Cherry Hill Women's Center; Women for Progress; Wo/Men Who Never Give Up, Inc; New Jersey Parents Caucus, Inc; SPAN Parent Advocacy Network; National Alliance on Mental Illness - New Jersey; Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey; New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc.; Solidarity 22; NJ-CAIC; UU FaithAction NJ; Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry NJ; Centurion; Newark Communities for Accountable Policing; New Jersey Forum for Human Rights; BlueWaveNJ; Our Revolution Essex; Our Revolution Monmouth; Our Revolution Ocean ; Our Revolution Somerset; Our Revolution South Jersey; Our Revolution Union; New Way Forward; Indivisible NJ 5th District; South Jersey Women for Progressive Change; Cooper River Indivisible; Green Party of Monmouth County; Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War; Hudson For All; Elijah's Promise; RCHP Affordable Housing Corp; NeighborCorps Re-Entry Services; New Jersey Tenants Organization; Camden County National Action Network; Seton Hall Center for Social Justice; Princeton Students for Prison Education, Abolition, and Reform; Rutgers Newark College Democrats ; Association of Black Law Students of Rutgers Law School- Newark; Guston & Guston LLP; Anderson Doula Services; Ethical Culture Society of Bergen Co./Columbia University; Northeast Black Law Student Association (NEBLSA); Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center; The Nubian News; NJ Region of Pax Christi USA; Reimagining Justice; Chan Law Office; Union County (NJ) Peace; Bergen County Stigma Free Zone, The SFZ News of N; Our Revolution New Jersey; Food & Water; RISE; EraseTheRedline Inc.; Embrace Race-Legislative Action;
New Jersey Faith Congregations, Councils, and Committees: Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Social Action Commission of the First Episcopal District of the AME Church; Salvation and Social Justice; Reform Jewish Voice of New Jersey; Council of Imams in New Jersey; Greater New Jersey United Methodist Women; NJ Synod, ELCA; New Jersey Conference, Churches of Spiritual Humanism; Bethany Baptist Church; The Reformed Church of Highland Park; Justice & Mercy Committee of Reformed Church of Highland Park; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair; Beacon UU Congregation in Summit; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton; Dorothea Dix Unitarian Universalist Community; Central Unitarian Church; Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple; Temple Emeth; Bnai Keshet; Temple Emeth; Temple Ner Tamid; All Saints Episcopal Parish; Mt. Zion AME Church Riverton, NJ; Mt. Pisgah AME Church; Mount Zion Baptist Church; Sparta United Methodist Church -- Church and Society Committee; St. Matthew AME Church, Orange; St. John's Episcopal Church; Abyssinian Baptist Church; Bethel AME Church, Moorestown, NJ; Social and Food Justice Director of Trinity Episcopal Church; Abiding Peace Lutheran Church; Israel Memorial AME Church; Nafshenu; Pilgrim Baptist Church; Urban Revival Project; Community Refuge Church of Christ;
Organizations From Other States: NYCAIC; NY State Assoc. of Protestant Chaplains; National Alliance on Mental Health NYS - Criminal Justice; Western New York Peace Center; Prison Family Anonymizes; California Families Against Solitary Confinement; ACLU of Nebraska; All of Us or None-St. Louis Chapter; The Spiritual Awareness Center; Incarcerated Nation; RocACTS Criminal Justice Task Force; Florida Legal Services, Inc.; Rockland Immigration Coalition
Individuals: Aaron Tesfaye; Abbey Dexter; Adam Sheridan ; Adam Sroczynski; Adriana Abizadeh; Adriana Scanteianu; Ailene Farkac; Akiko Fujita Van Antwerpen; Alan Sanders; Alexander Shalom; Alexandra Martin; Alexandra Smith ; Alexis Karteron; Aliya Austin; Allora Richey; Alyssa Florio-August; Amanda Eisenhour; Amanda Gillum; Amanda Potter; Amanda Savage; Amos Caley; Amy Bandler; Amy Miller; Amy Whelan; Ananya Prakash; Andrea James; Andrea Long; Andrea McChristian; Andrew Hahm; Anisah Sabur; Anjali Mehrotra; Anju Gupta; Ann Freeman Price; Ann Marie McGinley; Anna Laycock; Anna Wong; Anna-Marta Visky; Anne Houle; Anne Smullen Thieling; Anneliese C. Scherfen; Annie Glynn; Arlene Sroczynski; Assatta Mann; Austin Morreale; Barbara Allan; Barbara Cronenberger; Barbara Scabarozi; Barbara Weill Greenberg; Barry Brendel; Bassam Khawaja; Beartland Chan; Bennet D. Zurofsky; Beth Stephens; Betty J. Ashwood; Bill Neely; Bishop Fred Rubin; Bishop Tracie L. Bartholomew; Blossom Toussaint; Bobbie A Person; Bonney Parker; Bonnie Kerness; Br. Christopher McNabb; Brandon McKoy; Brenda Valladares; Brian Lozano; Brian Szura; Brooke Cannata; Cara A. Parmigiani; Carl Haag; Carl Phillips; Carol A. Loscalzo; Carol E. Gay; Carol Hoffman; Carrie Dirks; Carrie Gordon; Cat Sposato; Catherine Ambos; Catherine Townsend; Cathy Menendez; Cecilia A. Rowedder; Chad Dell; Charlene Walker; Charles Orlowicz; Chia-Chia Wang; Christian Estevez; Christina Crowthers; Christine Piatek; Christine Reilly ; Christof Heyns; Christopher Fegan; Christopher M. Jones; Chuck Culhane; Cindy Guaman; Claire Deroche; Claudia E. Cohen; Cody Cutting; Corene Kendrick; Courtnie Bolden; Crystal Mor; Cuqui Rivera ; Cynthia Chazen; Daniel Teehan; David Hernandez; David J. Thomas; David Topchik; Dean Hiatt; Deborah Convery; Debra E. Guston; Debra Hutt; Debra L. Wentz; Debra Wentz; Dell Gerster; Derek Minno-Bloom; Diana Autin; Diane Beeny; Diane Du Brule; Diane Finn; Dolores Canales; Don Freeman, Jr.; Donna Brady; Donna Hilburn- Campbell; Dosier Hammond; Douglas S. Eakeley; Douglas P. Van Zandt; Dr. Anne Matlack; Dr. Colleen Eren; Dr. Georganne D'Angelo; Dr. Henry Kuo; Dr. Joseph Chuman; Dr. Michele Ochsner; Dr. Omri M. Behr; Dr. Tarika Daftary Kapur; Dr. Wayles Browne; Dr. Wendy Christensen; Dunbar P. Birnie, III; Eileen Bird; Eileen Bird; Elena Gil; Elena Kravitz; Elise Boddie; Elissa Hoeger; Elissa Schwartz; Elizabeth Bain; Elizabeth Breedlove; Elizabeth Herman; Elizabeth Townley; Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg; Ellie Muska; Elyla Huertas; Emahunn Raheem Ali Campbell; Emilee Walker-Cornetta; Emily Wilkes; Emma Rush; Eric Periman; Erica Dugué; Erica Levine; Erika Arenger; Erika Herman; Erin Chung; Erin Clark; Esteban Gil; Esther Canty-Barnes; Eve Ellsworth; Eytan Stern Weber; Farrin R. Anello; Felipa Bernard; Felix Ullrich; Five Mualimm-ak; Florence Smith ; Florencia Allegretti; Frances Geteles; Gail Kadison Golden; Gail Tynkov; Gale Muhammad; Gantry Fox; Gatien Laurol; George Kidney; Georgiana Hart; Grace Riordan; Hanna Johnson; Hayat Mohammad; Heather Craven; Heather Simms ; Heather Skaggs; Heide Ilgenfritz; Helen Szathmary; Ilene Gilbert; Ilene Palena; Imam W. Deen Shareef; Jack Feinstein; Jacquelyn Godbey; Jacquelyn Juricic; Jake Blecher; Jamaine Cripe; James Pope; James Rush; Jamie Anderson; Jamie Evanini; Janai Fullard ; Jane McNeal; Jane Perry; Janet Heroux; Janet Hubbard; Janice Caldwell; Janika Best; Jayette Lansbury; Jean Casella; Jean Ross; Jean Stockdale; Jeanne LoCicero; Jeff Epstein; Jen Shannon; Jennifer Mee; Jennifer Monge; Jenny Lutz; Jenny-Brooke Condon; Jeree Thomas; Jessenia Class; Jessica Feierman; Jessica Hunsdon ; Jessica Kitson; Jessica Laus; Jessica Park; Jessica Sandoval; Jillian Silverman; Jim McAsey; Jo Sippie-Gora; Joan Pleune; Joann Marota; Joe Houle; Johanna Calle; Johanna Foster; John Butler ; John DeMasi; John Herman; John Hulme; John Leubsdorf; John Mitchell; Johnny Perez ; Jon C. Dubin; Jorge Contesse; Joyce McMillan; Judith Arnold; Judith K. Golden; Judith Rew; Judith S.Banes; Julianna Gabelman; Juliet Quiles; June Raegner; Justin Mazzola; Kaitlyn Anders; Kaitlyn Wojtowicz; Kamau Kujichagulia; Karen Long; Karin Duffield; Karin Vanoppen; Karol Y. Ruiz; Kate Germond; Kate Oh; Katherine Haas; Kathleen FitzPatrick; Kathleen W. Schulz; Kathryn (Trink) Prinz; Kathy O'Leary; Kathy Wright; Keith Benson; Kelsey De Avila; Kevin Brown; Kevin Stokes; Kevin Trayner; Khalil Muhammad; Kiersten Carlson; Kimberly Krone; Kimi Nakata; Kristine Beirne; Kristyn Brandi ; Ky'Eisha Penn; Larry Bernard; LaTonya Tate; Laura Cohen; Laura Heim ; Laura I. Kramer; Laura Pitter; Laura Rovner; Laura Whitehorn; Lauren Foss; Lauren Kuhlik; Laurent Comes; Lawrence M. Ladutke; Leah Horowitz; Leila Ullmann; Linda Bacon; Linda DeLap; Linda Evans; Linette Munoz; Lisa Fagley; Litsa Binder; Liz Battiston; Liz Cohen ; Liza Chowdhury; Liza Weisberg; Loretta Winters; Lori A. Nessel; Lori Phelan; Lori Sender; Louise Ille; Lydia Thornton; Lynn Chaiken; Lynn Hogan; Madeline Trimble; Mahmoud Mahmoud; Marc Lauritano; Marcia Marley; Mardysa Arnold; Margaret McLane; Margaret Zientek; Maria Eva Dorigo; Maria Nina Scarpa; Marian R Stuart; Marianne Kehoe ; Marie Ligon; Marijah Sroczynski; Marinus J. Broekman; Marissa Michaels; Mark Kantor; Mark Lesko; Mark Parker-Magyar; Mark Soler; Martha J. Buckwalter; Mary Carol Day; Mary Coakley-Fields; Mary Ellen Waterman; Mary Previtera; Mary Tulloss; Mary Watterson; Masha Miura; Matt Dragon; Matt Shapiro; Maya Kouassi ; Meagan Glaser; Megan Crowe-Rothstein; Meredith Masin Blount ; Meredith Sue Wllis; Micah Herskind; Michael B. Mushlin; Michael Buccheri; Michael Coyle; Michael Crockford; Michael Kane; Michael Strauss; Michael Tomb; Michele Ortlip; Michelle Boddorff; Mona Patel; Monica Day; Montserrat Soler; Moya Atkinson; Munirah Bomani; Nadja Rutkowski; Nafeesah Ali Goldsmith; Nancy Griffeth; Nancy Lang; Nancy M. Bialkowski; Nancy Pope White; Naomi Drew; Natalia Marte; Nathan Johnson; Nick Lewis, President; Nicole Pivnick; Nicolette Molina; Nina Henry; Nitin Kini; Pamela Flores; Parantap Pandya; Pastor Terrence Porter; Pat Kalinowski; Patricia Cook; Patricia Grabowski; Patricia Silvestri; Patricia Whiten; Patrick Mellin; Patty Berger; Paul A. Baynard, Sr.; Paula D’Ambrosa; Peggy Brown; Peggy Hayden; Peter Schofield; Phillip Lubitz; Phyllis Salowe-Kaye; Quincy Bloxom ; Rabbi Adena Blum; Rabbi David Greenstein; Rabbi David Levy; Rabbi David Z. Vaisberg; Rabbi Elliott Tepperman; Rabbi Eric M. Rosin; Rabbi Esther Reed; Rabbi Ethan Prosnit; Rabbi Larry Sernovitz; Rabbi Lee Paskind; Rabbi Marc Katz; Rabbi Maya Glasser; Rabbi Philip Bazeley; Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster; Rabbi Randall Mark; Rabbi Steven Sirbu; Ramon Gil; Randi Levine; Randi Mandelbaum; Rebecca Kunkel ; Regina A. Sessoms; Renee Koubiadis; Rev. Blake Scalet; Rev. Carol S. Haag; Rev. Chris Halverson; Rev. Doretha Jackson; Rev. Dr. Cris H. Mogenson; Rev. Dr. Leslie Robin Harrison; Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, II; Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, Sr.; Rev. Elaine Ellis Thomas; Rev. Eric Dobson; Rev. Eugene P Squeo; Rev. Jameel Morrison; Rev. Julie Yarborough; Rev. Kathryn S. Irwin; Rev. Linda G.S. Ellerbe; Rev. Lori Person Baynard; Rev. Mark David Johnson; Rev. Melvin E. Wilson; Rev. Rob Gregson; Rev. Robert Moore; Rev. Robin Tanner; Rev. Ron Stief; Rev. Rosemarie Newberry; Rev. Sammy Arroyo; Rev. Sara Lilja; Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael; Rev. Serena Rice; Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale; Rev. Tama Bell; Rev. Thomas M. Murphy; Rev. Timothy Adkins-Jones; Rev. William A. Courson; Richard Goldberg; Richard Smith ; Richard Sroczynski; Riquan King; Robert Bozzay; Robert Flora; Robert T. Hedden; Robert W. Shoemaker; Roberta Hantman; Roberta Reavey; Robin Coley; Robin Steinberg; Romerlyns Alberic; Ronald Califano; Roxanne Sutocky; Russell Eidmann-Hicks; Ryan Brown; Sabrina Safrin; Sahar Aziz; Sam Permar; Samuel Levy; Sandra Robinson; Sandra Svenningsen; Sara Cullinane; Sara Easter; Sara Totonchi; Sarah Duncan; Sarah Fajardo; Sarah Kleinman ; Sarah Neace; Sarah Ortlip-Sommers; Sarah Trovato Caley; Scott Klabenesh ; Scott Paltrowitz; Sean Loftus; Sean Smith ; Sebastian Hernandez Sanchez; Seth Hahn; Sharleen Leahey; Sharon Bobbie; Sid Madison ; Somil Trivedi ; Sophia Porotsky; Stefanie Habsen; Stephanie Matteo; Stephen R. Shalom; Stephen Whiten; Steven Mangual; Strawberry Gallagher; Stuart Green ; Sue Altman; Sue Camlin; Sumayya Saleh; Susan B. Bottorff ; Susan Colket; Susan Druckenbrōd; Susan MacDonnell; Susan Merrill; Susanna Jivotovski; Sydney Goldman; Sylvia Temmer; Tamar Lerer; Tess Borden; The Rev'd Canon Michel Belt; Theodore J. Fetter; Thomas Hessman; Thomas Laresch; Tia Rogers; Tina Weishaus; Tom Violett; Tony Giordano; Tracey P. Kelley; Tracy Rocha; Tricia Armstrong; Tricia Idrobo; Ty Park; Udi Ofer; Verbena Lea; Vicar Bridget Gautieri; Victor Pate; Victoria Bertholf; Vincent Morello; Violet Kimble; Virginia Crooks; Virginia Kerr; Vishal Agraharkar; Wendelin Costanzo; Wendy L. Wright; Willie Dwayne Francois III; Winnie Ye; Yelda Sisman; Zayid Muhammad; Zohra Ahmed
WHYY reports:
Screams so loud that sleep became impossible. Old food rotting in cells. Little to no human interaction for months or years on end.
Those are some of the experiences described Thursday by former New Jersey inmates who said they were held in solitary confinement, as state lawmakers considered legislation to clamp down on the practice critics say can have long-term, negative repercussions.
“I’m not angry with the Department of Corrections. I’m not here because of anger at being incarcerated,” said Nafeesah Goldsmith, a former inmate who said she spent part of her prison term in solitary confinement.
“I’m here because it is the systems that are in place that allow people who are vulnerable to be further abused,” she said.
When: June 6, 1 p.m.
Where: New Jersey State House/125 West State Street/Trenton, NJ/Committee Room 10 on the third floor
On June 6, the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (A314/S3261) will be heard before the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee, at 1 p.m. in Committee Room 10 on the third floor of the Trenton State House Annex. The bill, which has already passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee, would ban solitary confinement - also called “isolation” or “isolated confinement” - for more than 15 consecutive days, and allow no more than 20 days per 60-day period.
The bill would also prohibit any member of vulnerable populations, as classified by clinical staff, from being placed in isolation. Vulnerable populations include people aged 21 and younger, people aged 65 and older, people with developmental disability, people with a disability based on mental illness, people with serious medical conditions, and people who are pregnant.
Survivors of solitary confinement in New Jersey prisons will deliver testimony about what they experienced while held in isolation, sometimes for years at a time.
“I survived solitary confinement in New Jersey’s prisons,” said Justice Rountree, an organizer with the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement. “Solitary confinement is torture. In that cell, I was driven to consider suicide.”
A wide coalition of advocates who aim to end the torture of solitary confinement have come together to form the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, a coalition that includes the ACLU of New Jersey, several faith-based organizations, and Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), the labor union that represents nurses in New Jersey prisons.
"Our Local 5135, comprised of registered nurses and applied practical nurses in New Jersey state correctional facilities, is standing up against isolated confinement because it creates barriers to necessary medical and mental health care,” Sabrina Brown-Oliver, President, HPAE Local 5135. “Now is the time for the Legislature to stand up for human rights and stand with the union nurses who believe that every inmate deserves quality care and treatment. As a healthcare union, HPAE supports this legislation to end extended isolated confinement and calls upon New Jersey elected officials to do the same.
Former Governor Chris Christie vetoed the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act in 2016 after it passed the state Senate and Assembly. A memorandum attached to the veto falsely claimed, “This Administration does not utilize isolated confinement,” a statement that has been repeatedly debunked. In fact, New Jersey subjects incarcerated people to longer durations in isolated confinement than most states, according to reports published by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) and the Arthur Liman Center at Yale Law School. New Jersey ranks fourth in the country in the number of people in its prisons who are held in isolation for more than six years.
The following survivors of solitary confinement will provide testimony at the hearing:
Nafeesah Goldsmith was 26 years old when she was placed in solitary confinement for 60 days at New Jersey State Prison. Nafeesah Goldsmith is pursuing a Master’s degree at Monmouth University and works as a community organizer with New Jersey Together.
Mark Hopkins spent more than 180 days in solitary confinement in New Jersey. He was first tortured by solitary confinement when he was 16 years old. He is now a graduate student at Rutgers-New Brunswick and an organizer with AAUP-AFT.
Ron Pierce is the Democracy and Justice Fellow at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. During his more than 30 years of incarceration in New Jersey prisons, he spent a total of about four years in solitary confinement.
Justice Rountree is an educator, organizer, and an artist. He is the curator of 360 Poetry Nights with Justice, in Newark, NJ. He spent a total of five years in isolation while incarcerated in New Jersey.
Lydia Thornton is an advocate working to end the continuing abuses against people who are incarcerated, the homeless, and most importantly those coming home. In 2013, Lydia Thornton, then 52, spent nine and a half months in solitary confinement in New Jersey.
NJ Spotlight reports:
New Jersey lawmakers are trying again to limit the amount of time prisoners can be kept in isolated confinement, as well as the circumstances under which they can be sent to solitary. An effort to do so three years ago got as far as former Gov. Chris Christie’s desk before being vetoed.
Advocates are hoping the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act, A-314, will pass both houses again and this time face a better fate with Gov. Phil Murphy, a progressive Democrat. The Assembly Judiciary committee on Monday moved the bill by a 4-2 vote, with both Republican members opposed.
The measure would prohibit the use of solitary confinement in correctional facilities unless it is deemed necessary to reduce the risk of serious harm to the inmate or others. A facility would have to justify the use of isolated confinement and then could only keep a person in solitary for 15 consecutive days or 20 days during a two-month period, said Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin (D-Middlesex), prime sponsor of the bill.
“This does not end solitary confinement in New Jersey, but instead, it ensures that prisoners are not put in this form of confinement for months or years at a time,” she said. “Study after study shows that the use of long-term isolated confinement will have long-term detrimental effects on the person.”
"Solitary confinement solves no problems; it creates more problems - both for the individuals & their families and for the communities that they're then released into. It's inhumane. It's torture. And it's time we end it in New Jersey,” said rock icon and political activist Tom Morello after meeting with survivors in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Check out the Asbury Park Press coverage of Tom’s conversation with survivors here.
Check out our new video about how you can help end solitary confinement in New Jersey.
Patch published an article featuring the experiences of those who have survived solitary confinement in New Jersey. Read the story here.
The Star Ledger published testimonials from survivors of solitary confinement in New Jersey. Read their stories here.
Amsterdam News reports:
“We must begin to understand what solitary confinement does to humans,” said Lydia Thornton, who spent nine-and-a-half months in solitary confinement in New Jersey. “It changes our brain chemistry—the studies demonstrate it, and our experiences confirm it. The vast majority of us will come back to our communities. We need to come back better, not more damaged. We call ourselves survivors, because we are. We speak for those who cannot.”
Please take a moment to call these legislators about “The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.” Contact information and a script can be found below.
Chair of Assembly Judiciary Committee
Dial: (908) 327-9119, ask to speak with Assemblywoman Quijano or her policy aide in regard to Assembly Bill 314, “The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.”
Introduce yourself and mention any relevant identification [“from your district” / organization affiliation]
Urge her to introduce the bill into the Judiciary Committee at its next hearing [see sample script and talking points below].
[Optional, but very helpful] Send a follow-up email, which you can request from the aide, but here are the direct emails:
Assemblywoman Quijano - aswquijano@njleg.org
Seth Levin - slevin@njleg.org
Hello, this is [your name], from [your organization or “the coalition seeking to end solitary confinement in New Jersey”]. I’m calling to firstly thank the Assemblywoman for her affirmative vote on this bill in 2015. This bill is very important to me, because [your reasons--see some talking points below]. As you know, Governor Christie vetoed this same bill in 2016, and we think that NOW is the time to push for humane alternatives to isolation in New Jersey. Because we plan to show up in large numbers to support the bill, we would love to know when the next hearing date will be, since it isn’t listed on the legislative calendar. [if leaving a voicemail] You can reach out [me/us] at [Your number, or NJ-CAIC phone: 732-347-6508]. Thank you for your time and your support.
Talking points:
Prolonged solitary confinement, by any name or for any reason, is cruel and inhumane according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Isolation is immoral, as it denies people access to meaningful human contact, and it severely restricts access to education, healthcare, and rehabilitative programs.
Solitary confinement is costly, and studies show that reducing the amount of time in-cell actually reduces institutional violence between incarcerated people and corrections staff.
Isolation is disproportionately used against people of color--and at proportions higher than most other states. [source: The 2018 ASCA-Liman report called “Aiming to Reduce Time In-Cell”]
Many states are developing humane alternatives, which are listed and updated on the Vera Institute for Justice website: [www.SafeAlternativesToSegregation.org]
This is the most progressive legislation on solitary confinement in the nation, and would truly put New Jersey in the vanguard for progressive and humane correctional practices.
[“As you know,”] This bill offers vital protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people needing urgent medical care, youth, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Other reasons… [Event you attended; you or someone you know was impacted; etc.]
More info on solitary in NJ: www.njcaic.org
Speaker of the Assembly
Dial: (732) 855-7441, ask to speak with Speaker Coughlin or his policy aide in regard to Assembly Bill 314, “The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.”
Introduce yourself and mention any relevant identification [“from your district” / organization affiliation]
Urge him to support the bill by requesting it to be heard at the next Judiciary Committee hearing, and by putting it up for a floor vote, as soon as possible [see sample script and talking points below].
[Optional, but very helpful] Send a follow-up email, which you can request from the aide, but here are the direct emails:
Speaker Coughlin - asmcoughlin@njleg.org
Dan Harris - dharris@njleg.org
Hello, this is [your name], from [your organization or “the coalition seeking to end solitary confinement in New Jersey”]. I’m calling to firstly thank the Speaker for his sponsorship of A.314. This bill is very important to me, because [your reasons--see some talking points below]. As you know, Governor Christie vetoed this same bill in 2016, and we think that NOW is the time to push for humane alternatives to isolation in New Jersey. Because we plan to show up in large numbers to support the bill, we would love to know when the next hearing date will be, since it isn’t listed on the legislative calendar. [if leaving a voicemail] You can reach out [me/us] at [Your number, or NJ-CAIC phone: 732-347-6508]. Thank you for your time and your support.
Talking points:
Prolonged solitary confinement, by any name or for any reason, is cruel and inhumane according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Isolation is immoral, as it denies people access to meaningful human contact, and it severely restricts access to education, healthcare, and rehabilitative programs.
Solitary confinement is costly, and studies show that reducing the amount of time in-cell actually reduces institutional violence between incarcerated people and corrections staff.
Isolation is disproportionately used against people of color--and at proportions higher than most other states. [source: The 2018 ASCA-Liman report called “Aiming to Reduce Time In-Cell”]
Many states are developing humane alternatives, which are listed and updated on the Vera Institute for Justice website: [www.SafeAlternativesToSegregation.org]
This is the most progressive legislation on solitary confinement in the nation, and would truly put New Jersey in the vanguard for progressive and humane correctional practices.
[“As you know,”] This bill offers vital protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people needing urgent medical care, youth, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Other reasons… [Event you attended; you or someone you know was impacted; etc.]
More info on solitary in NJ: www.njcaic.org
Chair of the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
Dial: (609) 395-9911, ask to speak with Senator Greenstein or her policy aide in regard to Senate Bill 3261, “The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.”
Urge her to support the bill by introducing it at the next Law and Public Safety Committee hearing [see sample script and talking points below].
[Optional, but very helpful] Send a follow-up email, which you can request from the aide, but here are the direct emails:
Senator Greenstein - sengreenstein@njleg.org
Hello, this is [your name], from [your organization or “the coalition seeking to end solitary confinement in New Jersey”]. I’m calling to firstly thank the Senator for her affirmative votes for this bill in 2015. This bill is very important to me, because [your reasons--see some talking points below]. As you know, Governor Christie vetoed this same bill in 2016, and we think that NOW is the time to push for humane alternatives to isolation in New Jersey. Because we plan to show up in large numbers to support the bill, we would love to know when the next hearing date will be, since it isn’t listed on the legislative calendar. [if leaving a voicemail] You can reach out [me/us] at [Your number, or NJ-CAIC phone: 732-347-6508]. Thank you for your time and your support.
Talking points:
Prolonged solitary confinement, by any name or for any reason, is cruel and inhumane according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Isolation is immoral, as it denies people access to meaningful human contact, and it severely restricts access to education, healthcare, and rehabilitative programs.
Solitary confinement is costly, and studies show that reducing the amount of time in-cell actually reduces institutional violence between incarcerated people and corrections staff.
Isolation is disproportionately used against people of color--and at proportions higher than most other states. [source: The 2018 ASCA-Liman report called “Aiming to Reduce Time In-Cell”]
Many states are developing humane alternatives, which are listed and updated on the Vera Institute for Justice website: [www.SafeAlternativesToSegregation.org]
This is the most progressive legislation on solitary confinement in the nation, and would truly put New Jersey in the vanguard for progressive and humane correctional practices.
[“As you know,”] This bill offers vital protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people needing urgent medical care, youth, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Other reasons… [Event you attended; you or someone you know was impacted; etc.]
More info on solitary in NJ: www.njcaic.org
Committee Rosters: Senate and Assembly
Dial: [phone number], ask to speak with [name of Legislator] or [his/her] policy aide in regard to [Assembly Bill 314 / Senate Bill 3261], “The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act.”
Introduce yourself and mention any relevant identification [“from your district” / organization affiliation]
Urge her to support the bill [see sample script and talking points below].
[Optional, but very helpful] Send a follow-up email, which you can request from the aide.
Hello, this is [your name], from [your organization or “the coalition seeking to end solitary confinement in New Jersey”]. I’m calling to support this crucial solitary reform bill. This bill is very important to me, because [your reasons--see some talking points below]. As you know, Governor Christie vetoed this same bill in 2016, and we think that NOW is the time to push for humane alternatives to isolation in New Jersey. We would love to count on your support [in committee / when it goes to a floor vote]. [if leaving a voicemail] You can reach out [me/us] at [Your number, or NJ-CAIC phone: 732-347-6508]. Thank you for your time and your support.
Talking points:
Prolonged solitary confinement, by any name or for any reason, is cruel and inhumane according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture.
Isolation is immoral, as it denies people access to meaningful human contact, and it severely restricts access to education, healthcare, and rehabilitative programs.
Solitary confinement is costly, and studies show that reducing the amount of time in-cell actually reduces institutional violence between incarcerated people and corrections staff.
Isolation is disproportionately used against people of color--and at proportions higher than most other states. [source: The 2018 ASCA-Liman report called “Aiming to Reduce Time In-Cell”]
Many states are developing humane alternatives, which are listed and updated on the Vera Institute for Justice website: [www.SafeAlternativesToSegregation.org]
This is the most progressive legislation on solitary confinement in the nation, and would truly put New Jersey in the vanguard for progressive and humane correctional practices.
[“As you know,”] This bill offers vital protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people needing urgent medical care, youth, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Other reasons… [Event you attended; you or someone you know was impacted; etc.]
More info on solitary in NJ: www.njcaic.org
Talia Remba, a student at Westfield High School and a former volunteer at AFSC’s Prison Watch program in Newark, writes for Common Dreams:
In my own state of New Jersey, an unprecedented bill that would sharply limit the use of prolonged isolation has been introduced in both houses of the legislature, and will be undergoing hearings in the coming months.
Tricia Idrobo, a volunteer for Unitarian Universalist Faith Action of NJ, a member organization of the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, writes for NJ Spotlight:
As we go about our busy lives, it is easy not to give much thought to, or even hear about, what goes on in our country’s prisons, including the widespread use of isolated confinement, also known as solitary confinement. If we don’t know anyone in prison, it doesn’t affect us, right?
Not so quick. Putting aside humanitarian concerns for the moment, we know that many ex-prisoners are eventually released into the community, which means their lives directly and indirectly affect the character of our communities. If nothing else, we are all footing the bill through our taxes. Whether we like it or not, we all have a stake in this issue.
