The Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST) released its Blueprint for Ending Solitary Confinement on Monday, detailing how the government can end solitary confinement of inmates in federal custody through executive, administrative and legislative action, reported Jurist.
On any given day, more than 10,000 people are in a form of
solitary confinement in federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, with people
of color, transgender people, and people with mental health needs
disproportionately represented in this figure.
FAST’s Blueprint calls for four forms of government action.
First, it asks that all forms of solitary confinement of inmates in federal custody be
abandoned. This is subject to exceptions, including short lock-ins for the
purpose of de-escalation and medical quarantine. Second, it requires that there
be alternatives to solitary confinement, which must involve at least 14 hours
per day out of the cell, with 7 hours of meaningful activities. Third, due
process protections must be enhanced through the utilization of neutral
decision-makers. Fourth, oversight and enforcement mechanisms should be
implemented.
FAST is a coalition of 130 advocacy organizations, including
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Tammie Gregg, the director of the
ACLU’s Stop Solitary Campaign, supported the Blueprint, explaining:
the debilitating, dehumanizing, and even deadly effects [of
solitary confinement] on incarcerated people are an ongoing stain on the
American legal system. We strongly believe that the reforms outlined in this
Blueprint will go a long way towards eradicating much of the senseless and
counterproductive harm that has been caused.
In addition to the Blueprint, the ACLU and more than 130
other organizations signed a letter on last week to President Joe Biden and Vice
President Kamala Harris calling for the administration to end the use of
solitary confinement. Biden and Harris committed to stopping the use of
solitary confinement during the 2020 campaign. Moreover, states are restricting
the use of solitary confinement. In 2021, 70 pieces of legislation have been filed in 32 states.
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