Dear Friends,
Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law the most comprehensive bill on solitary confinement ever passed by a state legislature. It effectively ends long-term solitary confinement in New Jersey. This comes after five years of statewide organizing led by the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NJ-CAIC), NRCAT, AFSC, T’ruah, the NJ-ACLU and many others.
This is a huge victory and gives new hope for everyone enduring the torture of solitary confinement and their families. From the very beginning, the campaign was led by survivors, alongside faith and legal advocates.
Johnny Perez, our NRCAT U.S. Prisons Program Director, who is himself a survivor of 3 years in solitary, is working closely with similar efforts in states across the country. This is a historic first for state legislation on solitary in the U.S., and it will strengthen our case that the time is now to end the torture of long-term solitary confinement.
You can help NRCAT in this national effort with a financial donation today, or by contacting our Program Associate, Kristin Schol, to see how you and your congregational networks can get more involved.
You can also share the NRCAT press release on the new law or the NJ-CAIC press release. For the full bill text, click here.
Sincerely,
Rev. Ron Stief
Executive Director
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