FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2025
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Faith Groups Welcome Re-Introduction of End Solitary Confinement Act in U.S. Congress

Washington, DC - Senator Ed Markey and Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove today announced re-introduction of the End Solitary Confinement Act, legislation that would end solitary confinement in all federal custody and incentivize states and localities to do the same. The bill text is available here and a summary is available here.

“I spent over three years in solitary confinement, locked in a concrete cell the size of a parking space, 23 hours a day, with no human contact and no clear way out. I lost pieces of myself in that darkness, my sense of time, my trust in others, even the sound of my own voice. What I went through was not rehabilitation; it was sanctioned torture. I survived, but I carry the scars every day, and thousands of others are still buried alive in silence,” said Johnny Perez, Director of the U.S. Prisons Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. He added, “Solitary confinement violates our public safety, our public health responsibilities, and our deepest moral values. It makes people sicker, not safer, and then sends them home broken. But even in that isolation, I held onto my faith. I believed that if I made it out, I would fight to make sure no one else had to endure what I did. The End Solitary Confinement Act is a chance to turn that pain into purpose, to stop the torture, to honor the dignity of every person behind bars, and to prove that justice in the U.S. can still mean humanity, healing, and hope.”

More than 180 organizations nationwide have already endorsed the End Solitary Confinement Act, including more than 30 faith organizations. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture and fellow members of the Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST), lauded the Act’s re-introduction and are urging Congress to take action. National faith groups and organizations joined solitary survivors and family members, human rights and racial justice advocates, lawyers, and members of the medical field in calling for support for the bill.

Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, urged swift action by Congress: “Torture is a moral issue. Nationwide, faith communities have heard the cries for help from the nation's solitary confinement cells where over 10,000 of our brothers and sisters in federal custody endure these conditions of torture today and every day. Congress needs to take the courageous step to end torture in federal prisons and detention centers by passing the End Solitary Confinement Act without delay.”

"I wholeheartedly welcome and support the re-introduction of the End Solitary Confinement Act (ESCA) and thank Senator Markey and Representative Kamlager-Dove for their sponsorship and solidarity," said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. "The Torah states that 'it is not good for a human to be alone (Genesis 2:18),' indicating companionship as a core human need. The continued use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons is an act of torture and against Jewish values. The passage of this bill would be a crucial step towards greater accountability and more humane practices in the criminal justice system."

The various faith traditions that comprise NRCAT hold in common a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of each human person. Complete isolation violates basic religious values of redemption, compassion, and restorative justice.

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.

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