FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2013
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National, NY interfaith, anti-torture groups host events in NYC area marking International Human Rights Day
Interfaith groups call for end to solitary confinement in New York prisons, jails and detention centers
NEW YORK – As a part of a series of statewide events marking the 65th anniversary of International Human Rights Day, representatives of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, comprised of more than 325 diverse faith-based organizational members across the United States, are joining this weekend with New York religious and human rights organizations to host public events to expose the realities of solitary confinement in New York prisons, jails and detention centers.
“People of faith have a moral obligation to speak out against the use of prolonged solitary confinement because it is torture,” said Claire Deroche, who helped organize a vigil this Saturday, described below. “We need sweeping changes in our prison system that will benefit those who are incarcerated, corrections officers, and the public. We must speak out and work with elected officials for change."
On any given day, at least 4,000 people in New York State prisons are held in special housing units (SHU), and another 1,000 people in New York City jails are held in isolation, disproportionately people of color. An estimated 80,000 people are held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons, jails and detention centers on any given day. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, has called for a universal prohibition of prolonged solitary confinement exceeding 15 days and a total ban on the use of solitary confinement for vulnerable populations including persons with mental disabilities and youth, finding its prolonged use a form of torture.
On Saturday, December 14, at 12 p.m., a coalition of religious and human rights representatives will gather for a public witness in front of the Nassau County Jail on Long Island. Speakers will include religious leaders, families of those in solitary confinement, those formerly in solitary, and community members.
What: Vigil at Nassau County Jail, “Human Rights Day 2013: Confronting Solitary Confinement in an Age of Mass Incarceration”
Who: Co-sponsored by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, New York Civil Liberties Union -- Nassau County Chapter, Social Justice Committee at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Pax Christi Long Island, Prison Families Anonymous, Herstory Writers Workshop, Long Island Civic Engagement Table, New York Communities for Change – Long Island, Nassau Affirmative Action Project
Where: Nassau County Jail, 100 Carman Avenue, East Meadow, N.Y.
(Gathering on sidewalk across from the jail)
When: Saturday, December 14, at 12 p.m.
In addition, on Sunday, December 15, the public is invited to join religious and human rights advocates and survivors of solitary confinement by visiting an installation of a life-size mock special housing unit (SHU) cell outdoors in in Brooklyn. The installation will enable visitors to briefly experience the reality of solitary confinement and to learn about how to engage in efforts to end torture in New York prisons, jails and detention centers. A mock SHU, an 8-foot by 10-foot windowless cell, will be installed and open for visits in order to learn about the use of extreme isolation in New York and throughout the United States.
What: Life-size mock SHU cell/display: “Torture in Your Backyard: An Interactive Public Art Experience”
Who: Co-sponsors include the Social Justice Committee of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Where: Washington Park in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, Corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street, Brooklyn, New York
When: Sunday, December 15
The cell will be on display and available for the public to visit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“As we celebrate this Human Rights Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, we remember that article 5 states that ‘No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment,’” said Laura Markle Downton, director of U.S. prisons policy and program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. “As people of faith, we recognize the use of solitary confinement in a prisons, jails and detention centers in New York and throughout the United States fundamentally violates this prohibition against torture. Now is the time for the United States to bring an end to this human rights abuse plaguing our justice system.”
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture advocates for eliminating the use of prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. federal and state prisons. More information on NRCAT’s work in the field of solitary confinement is available at nrcat.org, as is the organization’s short documentary film on solitary confinement.
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 325 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.
www.nrcat.org
Follow NRCAT on Twitter at @NRCATtweets and on Facebook at facebook.com/nrcat.
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