Panelists Discuss the Dangers of Solitary Confinement

Long-term solitary confinement, often in atrocious and inhumane conditions, is widely and routinely used in the U.S. and often amounts to torture under international law. During the Southern Poverty Law Center’s advocacy trip to Geneva, we partnered with the ACLU to present a side panel discussion of solitary confinement practices in the U.S. featuring the personal experiences of two formerly incarcerated people who were sentenced to die in prison as young teens and spent long periods in solitary in state prisons in Florida and Louisiana. Participants also heard from Dr. Craig Haney, the leading authority on solitary confinement in the U.S., and Tammie Gregg, an attorney who is leading the charge for civil society support of the End Solitary Confinement Act. Panelists also spoke about prison labor practices that force incarcerated people to work in deplorable and often dangerous conditions for little or no pay.