Dear Friends,

NRCAT advocates made history in New York in 2021 by enacting fully comprehensive legislation (the HALT Solitary Confinement Act) which significantly limits the use of solitary confinement in prisons, jails, and state and county immigrant detention centers. The New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, one of NRCAT’s many state campaign partners, brought together solitary survivors, faith leaders, and human and civil rights advocates to win this historic victory. 

I invite you to donate to NRCAT today to make more wins like this one possible across the country.

In 2021, NRCAT worked with our national partners to help bring this organizing model to 18 states where legislation has been introduced to replace the torture of long-term isolation with humane alternatives.  

It is looking like history is on our side. But the prison industrial complex isn’t going down without a fight. In protest of these new measures, New York City correctional officers recently launched a strike and severely cut back services inside NYC’s Rikers Island jail. Thirteen people have died while incarcerated in Rikers this year. The mayor has caved to pressure by the officers’ union by re-instating unrestricted use of solitary confinement at Rikers, which will be illegal when the HALT Act is fully implemented.

Through it all, NRCAT continues to apply pressure in NYC, working with allies on the ground to organize rallies, public testimony, and actions, and to engage legislative leaders and the press. 

I invite you to donate to keep on the ground activism like this moving forward in New York and elsewhere. We can win this.

As a part of NRCAT’s year-end challenge campaign, your gift will be doubled dollar-for-dollar, amplifying your support for ending the torture of solitary confinement.

With gratitude and respect,

Johnny Perez
Director, NRCAT U.S. Prisons Program
Solitary Survivor