New this week from Solitary Watch: 

Solitary Watch as openings for Fall 2024 interns. We offer interns an opportunity to gain writing, research, and outreach skills while working on an important domestic human rights issue. Especially encouraged to apply are individuals with a background or interest in journalism, law, and/or criminal justice; those interested in utilizing media to advance social justice; and individuals directly impacted by the criminal legal system. For details and application instructions, please visit

This week’s pick of news and commentary about solitary confinement:

A woman from Tennessee was forced to give birth to her son in a jail cell toilet, alone and without any pain medication, despite her repeated pleas for help. As a result, her son soon suffered from ear and blood infections, and she is now suing the jail’s healthcare provider. The lawsuit alleges that she did not receive proper healthcare treatment—including doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds—and was kept in medical solitary confinement until the delivery. Newsweek

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In the continuing legal battle surrounding a series of at least six in-custody deaths at Wisconsin’s Waupun Correctional Institution, a former warden and two prison officers pleaded not guilty to one felony charge of misconduct in office. The charge concerned the death of Donald Maier, which occurred after officers shut water off in his cell to prevent him from flooding the room. In another one of the six in-custody deaths, a man died by suicide after spending time in solitary confinement. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Solitary confinement is on the rise at an ICE detention center near Houston—with 542 people subjected to the practice between September 2018 and September 2023. This rise comes despite ICE’s 2013 pledge to use of solitary confinement only as a last resort. “It’s supposed to be a detention facility,” one woman said, when detailing her cousin’s stay in solitary. “It’s not supposed to be a punishment facility.” Houston Landing

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Two years after New York State passed the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, sharply limiting the use of solitary, a report from the state inspector general revealed that state prisons are not adequately recording their compliance. The report comes after allegations that facilities are violating the legislation, including by holding people in solitary confinement for more than 15 days. The inspector general found that most state prisons in New York still use antiquated paper-and-pen systems to keep track of operations, making it difficult to prove allegations of abuse. Queens Eagle

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New York City opened several “de-escalation” units on Rikers Island as a safer and more humane alternative to solitary confinement—but most are currently going unused, according to the latest report by a federal monitor. The units, which include counseling and can only be used for a few hours, were created in 2022 amidst  ongoing crises at Rikers. Yet people are often punished with other means, such as removal to an intake area or transfer of housing unit.The finding follows Mayor Eric Adams’s recent emergency order to block a new law limiting the use of solitary. The City

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A commentary argues that limiting the use of solitary confinement is the “missing piece” in California Governor Gavin Newsom’s promises of prison reform. While he publicly promotes a more humane and rehabilitative approach to prisons, changes to solitary confinement have stalled or failed due to Newsom’s own resistance. For example, Newsom vetoed a potential reform bill—the California Mandela Act—in 2022, claiming that the legislation was too broad. That bill is still active in the Assembly however, in addition to another possible reform that would restrict the use of solitary confinement before or after pregnancy. Politico

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Action Alerts for the week:

The California Mandela Campaign is holding a day of action in support for the California Mandela Act, which would prohibit long-term solitary confinement. Supporters will rally on Monday, August 19 from 9 am to 6 pm at the Capitol Front Lawn in Sacramento. Supporters of the reform can also send an email to their elected officials here, and learn more about the California Mandela Campaign here.

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