FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2015

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National interfaith human rights organization calls for further action following a new report on solitary confinement in the federal Bureau of Prisons

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has long been committed to ending long-term solitary confinement in the nation's prisons and jails, motivated by the moral objections to the practice from its membership of hundreds of diverse religious groups across the country. Yesterday the federal Bureau of Prisons released the report "Federal Bureau of Prisons: Special Housing Unit Review and Assessment," requested following a 2012 congressional hearing on human rights, fiscal and public safety consequences of solitary confinement. NRCAT responded today to the release of the first-ever assessment of federal policies related to solitary confinement.

"While this first-ever report of federal policies on solitary confinement is a significant milestone, it documents just how much work we have left to accomplish," said Rev. Laura Markle Downton, director of U.S. prisons policy and program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, "NRCAT and our faith partners across the country have been calling for a universal prohibition of prolonged solitary confinement exceeding 15 days. Recommendations – like those contained in this report - that do not prohibit long-term isolation in favor of rehabilitation and treatment are inadequate in the face of both science of the mind and the ethics of human dignity, which condemn such conditions as torture. State legislators and prison administrators are prioritizing the implementation of alternatives to isolation. If the federal Bureau of Prisons is to live up to its stated mission 'to prepare inmates for release,' it can and must do better than the devastation of long-term isolation."

"As faith leaders we are called upon to help heal the broken and wounded among us. Too many faith leaders have seen firsthand the devastating impact of solitary confinement on the mental health of incarcerated people, and the suffering of families of those enduring solitary confinement. Placing an incarcerated person in long-term solitary confinement has been widely condemned as immoral and antithetical to rehabilitation by religious leaders of all faiths and persuasions," added Rev. Ron Stief, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

A copy of the full report is available here.

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has been vocal in its opposition to solitary confinement on moral grounds. Last year, the organization submitted written testimony to Congress in advance of a Congressional hearing on solitary confinement at the federal level, "Reassessing Solitary Confinement II: The Human Rights, Fiscal and Public Safety Consequences."

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, more than 300 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.
NRCAT.org     @NRCATtweets     facebook.com/nrcat

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