NRCAT Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Faith Leaders Express Support for Connecticut's Solitary Bill, HB 7302

New Haven, CT - At a hearing of the Judiciary Committee today, Rev. Allie Perry, President of the Board of Directors of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, will offer testimony in support of HB 7302: An Act Concerning Isolated Confinement and Correctional Staff Training and Wellness.

NRCAT submitted written testimony in advance of the hearing. The following is an excerpt of that testimony:

"On any given day in the U.S., it is estimated that 80,000 to 100,000 incarcerated people are held in conditions of solitary confinement. That number does not include people in local jails, juvenile facilities, or in military and immigration detention. Isolation destroys people and serves no rehabilitative purpose. For people of faith and conscience, isolated confinement is an affront to values of inherent human dignity. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are the first responders to the damage wrought by the practice of prolonged isolation. What happens to those who are imprisoned in our state impacts all of us, as a vast majority of those who are incarcerated will one day return to our communities."

Additional testimony was provided by:

• Rev. Toni Smith
• Rev. Dr. Rochelle A. Stackhouse
• Michele Mudrick of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

U.S. Faith Coalition Condemns Muslim Ban 2.0

Washington, DC – In a statement released today, Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, condemned President Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0:

“President Trump’s first Muslim Ban was illegal. Now he’s back again with a Muslim Ban 2.0 which is still premised on religious discrimination against Muslims. It is immoral for this Administration to leave tens of thousands of refugees, many of whom are fleeing violence and terror, with no place to go. We urge people of all faiths to stand together and resist any efforts by this Administration to further add to the injury of those who are already victims of ISIS and Assad.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

New Documentary Gives Rare Glimpse into a Supermax Prison

Washington, DC - Filmed in a supermax prison in rural Virginia, the 80-minute documentary "Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison" premieres nationwide on HBO tonight at 10pm ET.

Rev. Laura Markle Downton, Director of U.S. Prisons Policy and Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, said about the film:

"More than 40 supermax prisons dot the U.S. landscape, yet these facilities are kept hidden from public view. 'Solitary' presents its audiences with a rare opportunity to go inside a supermax prison and hear the human stories of incarcerated people trapped in solitary confinement and the staff who work there. This film raises fundamental questions about the role of prisons in our society and the profound need for restorative justice. Through superb story-telling, Kristi Jacobson makes the powerful case that there are no throwaway people."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Faith Leaders Make Case Against Torture as Mike Pompeo Voted in as CIA Director

Washington, DC – In a recent op-ed in , Rev. Ron Stief, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, laid out the Christian case against torture and stressed the importance of the fact that while under oath, Trump Administration nominees stood opposed to torture. During his confirmation hearings, CIA Director nominee Mike Pompeo made clear his view that torture is illegal.

Rev. Stief had this to say about the Senate’s vote to confirm Pompeo’s nomination:

“Director Pompeo has affirmed that he understands that torture is illegal. We hope that he holds to that position as CIA Director and we pray that he also understands that torture is immoral. Jesus himself was a victim of state-sponsored torture – and it is something that people of all faiths, and indeed all people, have a duty to oppose.”

For Immediate Release: January 23, 2017
Contact: Allie Perry - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 203-215-2613

Replica Solitary Confinement Cell Coming to New Haven, CT

NEW HAVEN, CT – From January 30th through February 18th, members of the public will have the rare opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of a typical solitary confinement cell. A broad coalition of local community, religious, and university organizations will host “Inside the Box,” a three week-long display of a replica solitary confinement cell at the New Haven Free Public Library and on the Yale campus. The display will be accompanied by numerous events, including community discussions, film screenings, expert panels, and a talk by Connecticut Department of Correction Commissioner Scott Semple.

“Our goal is to provide members of the community with an opportunity to experience isolation, to learn about its harms, and to engage in advocacy for limiting its use,” said the Rev. Allie Perry, the coalition’s lead organizer.

Solitary confinement is the practice of placing a prisoner alone in a cell for 22 to 24 hours a day with little human contact or interaction. According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, prolonged solitary confinement is torture. On any given day, however, around 80,000 people in the United States are being held in solitary confinement.

“Inside the Box” will begin with a press conference on Monday, January 30 at 1:30 P.M. held at the New Haven Free Public (Ives Memorial) Library and featuring New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, Connecticut Senator Gary Winfield, solitary survivor Keishar Tucker, City Librarian Martha Brogan, William Ginsberg of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and members from the Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, (202) 547-1920

PETITION DELIVERED FROM 4,500 KANSAS CHRISTIANS CALLING ON REP. POMPEO TO REFRAIN FROM TORTURE AS CIA DIRECTOR

Washington, DC - Over 4,500 Kansas Christians signed a petition asking future CIA Director Rep. Mike Pompeo to stick with recent assurances made to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that he would “absolutely not” follow an illegal order to resume the CIA torture program.

Today, Rev. Ron Stief, executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, delivered the petition to Rep. Pompeo’s Washington office on behalf of the Kansas Christians. The petition signatures were also delivered to Rep. Pompeo’s Wichita office by Sr. Bernadine Wessel, ASC.

In a statement, Rev. Stief said: “We delivered this petition to encourage Rep. Pompeo to obey the dictates of the law and Christian morality by rejecting torture during his tenure as CIA Director. Jesus himself was a victim of state-sponsored torture and the petition was signed by over 4,000 Christians in Kansas who believe that no government should ever use torture.”

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2017
Contact: T.C. Morrow, 202-547-1920

Coalition marks 15th anniversary of first detainees imprisoned at Guantánamo with rally at Supreme Court and march to Senate confirmation hearings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On January 11, a broad coalition of human rights organizations will mark 15 years since the first prisoners were brought to the U.S. detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba with a rally and march in Washington, D.C.

They will rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court at 11:30 am and then march to the Senate Russell Building, where the confirmation hearing of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General is taking place.

The groups will call on President Obama to expedite releases from Guantánamo and to make public the full U.S. Senate Torture Report. They demand that President-elect Trump reject the use of torture, continue transferring men from Guantánamo, end indefinite detention, and reject national security or other measures that discriminate against Muslims.

The groups will speak to the nominations of Jeff Sessions for Attorney General and Mike Pompeo for CIA Director. Senator Sessions consistently voted to prevent the closure of Guantánamo and refused to strengthen legislative bans on the abuse of detainees. When in Congress, Pompeo opposed the release of any of the U.S. Senate Torture Report and misrepresented the reality at Guantánamo in efforts to keep the prison open.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2017
CONTACT: T.C. Morrow, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 202-547-1920

Faith Leaders Pray that President Trump will Robustly Defend the Dignity of all People

Washington, DC - In advance of confirmation hearings on executive branch nominations, national faith leaders sent a letter to President-elect Trump sharing their hopes and prayers that he would advance American values and defend all people from torture, genocide, and other assaults on human dignity.

The faith leaders, representing many different American faith traditions, wrote:

“We live in an era when fear and anger have eroded the common concern for human life and human dignity. Too often lines are drawn between people of different ethnicities, religions, and cultures, and some use those lines in an attempt to justify killing, torture, and other immoral acts of brutality.

While we represent a diversity of faith traditions, we stand together in a shared belief in the God-given dignity of each person and the conviction that America should reject the forces that divide people and should protect those who are at risk of torture, rape, genocide, and other violations of human dignity. Our faith traditions teach us that standing up for the vulnerable and those in need is at integral to the well-being of our shared community.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2017
CONTACT: Chris Pumpelly, (316) 519-3266

Christians in Kansas Tell Mike Pompeo: Torture is Always Wrong

Wichita, KS - In advance of Rep. Mike Pompeo's confirmation hearing to be the next CIA Director, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) has run an ad in The Wichita Eagle reminding the nominee that “Our children are watching” and has circulated a petition reminding Rep. Pompeo that Christians believe that torture is always wrong.

In a statement, Sr. Bernadine Wessel, ASC, a resident of Wichita, said:

“As a Roman Catholic sister, I know the use of torture is an affront to the dignity of the human person. Our Lord commands us to forgive our enemies and turn the other cheek, to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. And Catholic teaching is clear and consistent in its prohibition against torture and in affirmation of the dignity of each person, formed in God's image.

I continue to pray for our President-Elect, and his choice for CIA Director, Rep. Pompeo. I pray they will listen to the thousands of Christians who call on them to reject torture.”

For Immediate Release: January 10, 2017
Contact: Amos Caley, the NJ Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; (260) 224-0376

New Jersey Community Leaders Hold Rally Calling For an End to Solitary Confinement

Trenton, NJ -  Human rights advocates are preparing to assemble on Wednesday, January 11th along Cass Street outside New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. They will be condemning the use of solitary confinement in New Jersey prisons.

The rally is scheduled for 12:00pm and is being hosted by the New Jersey Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NJ-CAIC), whose members and co-sponsors include 18 advocacy organizations and many additional faith and community groups.

Bonnie Kerness, director of the Prison Watch Program at the American Friends Service Committee, is one of the members of NJ-CAIC scheduled to speak at the rally. “We’ve been monitoring human rights abuses in New Jersey prisons for decades,” says Kerness, “and since the use of isolation on prisoners was truly pioneered here, it is necessary that New Jersey becomes the first state to definitively ban this practice. Holding people in small cells for months or years at a time is torture, no matter what you choose to call it.”