Hearing on solitary confinement
Yesterday a hearing was held in Washington, D.C. on the issue of solitary confinement in state and federal prisons by the United State's Senate's Committee on the Judiciary (Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights).
A video of that hearing may be accessed here.
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Member Comments (1)
This was an historic hearing - the first time Congress has devoted attention to this critical issue. Prolonged confinement in isolation is inhumane, costly and compromises public safety. As the New York Times said today, the US should begin with a "strictly enforced bar on holding children and mentally ill inmates in severe conditions of isolation." Kudos to Sen. Durbin and his staff for calling national attention to this profoundly troubling violation of basic concepts of fundamental human rights, and for calling for an end to this inhumane practice.