16 Years in Solitary Confinement Is Like a "Living Tomb"
Goal: 20,000
22,428
22,428 people support this campaign. Help us get to 20,000!
In California, hundreds of prisoners have been held in
solitary for more than a decade – some for infractions as trivial as
reading Machiavelli's "The Prince."
Gabriel Reyes describes the pain of being isolated for at least 22 hours a day
for the last 16 years:
“Unless you have lived it, you cannot imagine what it feels like
to be by yourself, between four cold walls, with little concept of
time...It is a living tomb...I have not been allowed physical contact
with any of my loved ones since 1995...I feel helpless and hopeless. In
short, I am being psychologically tortured.”
That’s why over 30,000 prisoners in California began a hunger strike – the
biggest the state has ever seen. They’re refusing food to
protest prisoners being held for decades in solitary and to push for
other changes to improve their basic conditions.
California Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard has tried to dismiss
the strikers and refuses to negotiate, but the media pressure is
building through the strike. If tens of thousands of us take action, we
can help keep this issue in the spotlight so that Secretary Beard can’t
ignore the inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Solitary is so cruel that a United Nations torture rapporteur called
for an international ban on the practice except in rare occasions.
Here’s why:
* The majority of the 80,000 people held in solitary in this country
are severely mentally ill or put there because of a minor infraction
(it’s a myth that it’s only for violent prisoners)
* Even for people with stable mental health, solitary causes severe
psychological reactions, often leading people to attempt suicide
* It jeopardizes public safety because prisoners held in solitary have
a harder time reintegrating into society
And to add insult to injury, the hunger strikers are now facing
retaliation – their lawyers are being restricted from visiting and the
strikers are being punished. But the media continues to write about the
hunger strike and we can help keep the pressure on Secretary Beard by
signing the petition.
To sign petition, go to
https://www.aclu.org/secure/ca-hunger-strike?sid=1318146&did=1
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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