Dear Friends,

Connecticut has just become the third state in the nation to end the torture of long-term solitary confinement through legislative action, following New Jersey in 2019 and New York in 2021.

Following the tremendous efforts of the Stop Solitary CT campaign, this week Governor Ned Lamont signed into law a bill preventing a person from being held in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days or for more than 30 days within any 60-day period in any CT jail or prison. The new law reverses decades of state policy which allowed people to be held in isolation for months, years, and even decades. It also prevents minors under the age of 18 from being held in isolated confinement, and it enacts important oversight and accountability measures.

Barbara Fair, Lead Organizer for the Stop Solitary CT campaign, shared these thoughts: "This has been a long journey and it's in no way over. Passage of the PROTECT Act this session has been an exhausting yet rewarding experience. There was a lot of relationship building on both sides that led to this victory and now the real work begins. With an ombudsman in place supported by a civilian advisory board with formerly incarcerated people as part of the membership, our end goal is to completely eradicate prolonged isolation and violence against incarcerated people and build a more humane system for both incarcerated people and those who work in these environments."

Join us in extending our congratulations and gratitude to the members of the Stop Solitary CT campaign whose tireless advocacy, courage, and persistence has made this victory possible.

We invite you to amplify this milestone for the movement to end the torture of solitary confinement by sharing this Facebook Post or Tweet today.

With hope,

Johnny Perez
Director, U.S. Prisons Program

PS – NRCAT is pleased to announce a new documentary, “Torture in Our Name,” that will be released later this month for use during June Torture Awareness Month and beyond. Contact Laura Markle Downton for more information on how you can plan a screening for your community.