Groundbreaking Report Reveals Urgent Need for Restricting Solitary Confinement in Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2024
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Zindy Marquez
Director of Communications
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Groundbreaking Report Reveals Urgent Need for Restricting Solitary Confinement in Illinois
CHICAGO, IL, April 10, 2024: Today, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Restore Justice, and Uptown People’s Law Center have released a critical report titled “Ending Long Term Solitary Confinement in Illinois” describing the urgent need for solitary confinement reform in Illinois. The Illinois General Assembly is considering the Nelson Mandela Act (HB 4828), which would restrict solitary confinement by prohibiting prisons from holding individuals in solitary for more than 20 hours a day for more than 10 days.
This new report authored by Chris Bridges and David Shapiro of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Kate Schwartz of Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., outlines the inhumane practice of solitary confinement and explains how it is seen as torture under international human rights law.
“Replacing archaic punishment practices with proven policies that increase safety in prisons should not be ignored. The mental health effects alone on individuals subjected to solitary confinement are reason enough to end this type of cruel treatment. We should all demand policy changes that not only reflect modern research and evidence-based forms of rehabilitation but maintain the dignity of all human beings regardless of their prison sentence status,” said Chris Bridges of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.
Some key findings from the report include:
Modern science has shown that solitary confinement can drive previously healthy people to mental illness, in addition to worsening preexisting psychiatric conditions.
People in solitary confinement account for almost half of all prison suicides, even though they account for a small portion of the American prison population.
Solitary confinement in Illinois constitutes torture and violates international human rights law.
Among people who are incarcerated in Illinois, Black Illinoisans are subjected to solitary at a disproportionate rate, amplifying existing disparities within the criminal legal system.
Solitary confinement costs taxpayers far more than incarceration in the general population and has been shown to exacerbate violence within prison facilities.
Several states have enacted laws to restrict the use of solitary confinement in their correctional institutions. This report is calling for Illinois to join New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey in leading the way on reforming solitary and ending unnecessary torture.
“Illinois cannot continue to accept the devastating consequences of solitary confinement. It is time for Illinois to join those states that have already imposed meaningful restrictions on its use and reject this form of torture in our correctional facilities. The Nelson Mandela Act provides critical reforms that will benefit the health and safety of incarcerated people, prison staff, and our communities alike,” stated Kate Schwartz, Partner at Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd.
Today, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Restore Justice, and Uptown People’s Law Center are traveling to Springfield to advocate for the Nelson Mandela Act and ask lawmakers to take action in restricting the inhumane practice of solitary confinement.
Read the full report here.
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Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights is a non-partisan, non-profit group of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. We provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and we collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights. For more information, visit www.clccrul.org or call (312) 630-9744.
Restore Justice
Restore Justice, which comprises Restore Justice Foundation and Restore Justice Illinois, works to address issues faced by those serving life or de-facto life sentences, their families, and their communities. Founded in 2015 by a dedicated group of advocates that included the late former Congressman, Federal Judge, and White House Counsel Abner Mikva, Restore Justice trains and supports advocates, conducts research, nurtures partnerships, and develops policy solutions that will roll back ineffective “tough on crime” policies of the past, replacing them with compassionate, smart, and safe policies for the future.
Uptown People’s Law Center
Uptown People’s Law Center is a nonprofit legal services organization specializing in prisoners' rights, Social Security disability, and tenants' rights and eviction defense. UPLC currently has four class action lawsuits against the Illinois Department of Corrections, as well as a number of individual impact cases.