NRCAT supports state and local campaign partners to educate the faith community about the use of torture in U.S. prisons, jails and detention centers. Much of our work is in collaboration with the 20 state campaigns supported by the Unlock the Box Campaign. 

If you have questions on whether there is a campaign in your state, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Johnny Perez, the Director of NRCAT's U.S. Prisons Program.

State Campaigns At A Glance

Following the tremendous multi-year efforts of the Stop Solitary CT campaign, in May 2022 Governor Ned Lamont signed into law a bill preventing a person from being held in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days or for more than 30 days within any 60-day period in any Connecticut jail or prison. The new law reverses decades of state policy which allowed people to be held in isolation for months, years, and even decades. It also prevents minors under the age of 18 from being held in isolated confinement, and it enacts important oversight and accountability measures.

With the bill, Connecticut became the third state in the nation to end the torture of long-term solitary confinement through legislative action, following New Jersey in 2019 and New York in 2021. NRCAT was glad to be part of the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (NY-CAIC/#HALTsolitary campaign) and the New Jersey Prison Justice Watch (formerly NJ-CAIC). All three states serve as powerful examples of the potential for change when solitary survivors and faith allies align to promote restorative alternatives to long-term isolated confinement in prisons, jails and detention centers. The work in these three states now focuses on implementation of the bills and sharing best practices with campaigns in other states.

To get connected directly with on-going campaigns, visit these websites:

• Arkansas - decARcerate is leading a campaign to change the narrative in Arkansas that solitary confinement is necessary, to end solitary confinement in Arkansas, and to replace solitary confinement with incentive-based program-rich alternatives.
• California - The California Mandela Campaign is building grassroots support and engaging in advocacy in support of comprehensive legislation to enshrine the Mandela Rules into state law for prisons, jails and detention centers in California.
• Connecticut - Stop Solitary CT
• District of Columbia - The DC Justice Lab and more than 20 organizational members of the Unlock the Box DC Coalition are working to end solitary confinement in the District of Columbia.
• Georgia - RestoreHER and Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) are leading the Out of Isolation Coalition to engage with survivors of solitary confinement, build a more robust support system within this community, and invite other advocacy organizations to join our efforts to abolish solitary confinement. 
• Louisiana - Louisiana Stop Solitary Coalition
• Maryland - Interfaith Action for Human Rights and partners in Maryland are engaged in public education and advocacy in support of a Mandela Act with strict limits on use of solitary confinement. 
• Maine - The Ban Solitary Confinement Campaign of the Maine Prisoners Advocacy Coalition (MPAC) is leading efforts joined by many partners including the Maine Council of Churches.
• Massachusetts- Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement (MASC)
• Michigan - Open MI Door campaign
• Nebraska - A coalition is advocating for the adoption of the Mandela rules in limiting the use of solitary confinement. The ACLU of Nebraska, faith leaders, criminal justice experts and advocates, youth advocates, elected leaders, former correctional officials, and most importantly, Nebraskans who have been directly impacted by solitary confinement are collaborating on public education and advocacy.
• Nevada - Return Strong, ACLU of Nevada, and other Nevada partners are growing a grassroots community voices team and increasing public education in support of strict limits on the use of solitary confinement.
• New Jersey - New Jersey Prison Justice Watch
• New Mexico - The ACLU of New Mexico and coalition partners are engaged in public education efforts in support of legislative limits on time spent in solitary in alignment with the Mandela Rules and in support of an Ombudsperson for the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) 
• New York - New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement/ #HALTsolitary campaign 
• North Carolina - #EndSolitaryNC Campaign
• Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement
• Rhode Island - Stop Torture RI Coalition
• Virginia - Virginia Coalition on Solitary Confinement
• Washington - Disability Rights Washington, ACLU-WA, Civil Survival, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and La Resistencia and others are teaming up for public education and advocacy in support of legislation to ban long-term solitary

Educating People of Faith
A first step towards mobilizing people of faith to participate in a state campaign is to educate them about the severe harm caused by solitary confinement. You can use one of NRCAT's resources or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for a recommendation of a speaker with experience of solitary. We have speakers available for your online event and many contacts around the country for in-person events.