Dear Friends, On May 10, Governor Ned Lamont signed the Protect Act, making Connecticut the third state to ban the use of prolonged solitary confinement through legislation. This follows similar legislative wins in New Jersey in 2019 and in New York in 2021. Activists working with NRCAT and our partner organization, Unlock the Box, are winning unprecedented and historic legislative action banning long-term solitary for everyone in their state prisons and jails. Your contribution to NRCAT this Torture Awareness Month allows us to keep the momentum going to replicate this success in additional states. In the 19 states across the U.S. where NRCAT supports campaigns to end the torture of solitary confinement, faith advocates and solitary survivors are leading the way. In Michigan, leaders are leveraging NRCAT’s virtual reality of solitary to advance their legislation. In Massachusetts, advocates are working with NRCAT on media and organizing to build the capacity of new and existing members. In Texas, NRCAT is supporting organizers on the ground preparing for their 2023 legislative session in one of the most challenging political environments in the United States. Every dollar you give this June will be matched, enabling NRCAT to maintain pressure on governors, heads of state correctional institutions, and state legislators to continue to promote sound policy solutions to end solitary confinement in this country. Equally important, your contribution will support our work with solitary survivors as we build out the NRCAT National Network of Solitary Survivors, a landing point for survivors to engage in mentorship, public education, and legislative organizing. This recent win in Connecticut is not just academic for me. I remember my own experience in solitary confinement in New York prisons, where every day I had to steel myself against how solitary robs a person of their ability to hope. And yet, many of you were fighting for me, and others subjected to the harm of isolation, long before we knew you even existed. Today I am proud to protest and work for change alongside you. | |
