QUICK LINKS TO RESOURCES
THE ISOLATED CONFINEMENT RESTRICTION ACT
(NJ LEGISLATION)
History of Isolated Confinement Restriction Act: S51/A547 Passage and Veto in 2016.
Op-Ed by Marshall "Justice" Rountree in response to Gov. Christie's veto.
Testimonies of Torture in New Jersey Prisons Compiled and Produced by Bonnie Kerness & AFSC Prison Watch
INFO ON ISOLATED CONFINEMENT
"Solitary Confinement Facts," by the American Friends Service Committee.
"Stop Solitary," by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"FAQs - Prolonged Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons," by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
"The Dangerous Overuse of Solitary Confinement in the United States," by the American Civil Liberties Union, 2014.
"Race and the Politics of Isolation in U.S. Prisons," by Bonnie Kerness and Jamie Bissonette Lewey, Atlantic Journal of Communication, 2014.
"The Hidden History of Solitary Confinement in New Jersey's Control Units," by Bonnie Kerness, Solitary Watch, 2013.
(INTER)NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
[PDF] "Aging in Prison: A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix," by the American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Project, 2017.
"Testimonies of Torture in New Jersey Prisons: Evidence of Human Rights Violations," by Bonnie Kerness, American Friends Service Committee, 2015.
“United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules),” the United Nations General Assembly, 2015.
"Survivors Speak: Prisoner Testimonies of Torture in United States Prisons and Jails," by the American Friends Service Committee, 2014.
Review of U.S. Compliance with The Convention Against Torture, by the United Nations Committee Against Torture, 2014.
"Invisible in Isolation: The Use of Segregation and Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention," by National Immigrant Justice Center, 2012.
MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
"Locked Up and Locked Down: Segregation of Inmates with Mental Illness," by Anna Guy, Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities Prison Project, September 8, 2016.
"Solitary Confinement Fact Sheet," by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2013.
"Position Statement on Segregation of Prisoners with Mental Illness," by the American Psychiatric Association, 2012.
"Locking Down the Mentally Ill," by Jim Ridgeway, The Crime Report, February 18, 2010.
"Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness in U.S. Prisons: A Challenge for Medical Ethics," by Jeffrey L. Metzner and Jamie Fellner, Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 2010.
"What to do with the Survivors? Coping with the Long-Term Effects of Isolated Confinement," by Terry A. Kupers, Wright Institute, 2008.
FINANCIAL COSTS
"Solitary Confinement is a Moral and Financial Disaster," by Caitlin Curley, GenFKD, April 2, 2016.
"Solitary Confinement Costs $78K Per Inmate And Should Be Curbed, Critics Say," by Carrie Johnson and Bill Chappell, National Public Radio, February 25, 2014.
"Fact Sheet: The High Cost of Solitary Confinement," by Sal Rodriguez, Solitary Watch, 2011.
"Colorado spending $208 million on empty solitary confinement prison," by David Olinger, The Denver Post, November 11, 2012.
HUMANE ALTERNATIVES
"An Experiment in Atlanta May Transform Care of Mentally Ill Prisoners," by Andrew Cohen, The Atlantic, February 11, 2014.
"City Plans New Approach to Disciplining Mentally Ill Inmates," by Vivian Yee, The New York Times, May 12, 2013.
"Sentencing and Prison Practices in Germany and the Netherlands: Implications for the United States," Ram Subramanian and Alison Shames, VERA Institute of Justice, 2013.
"Prisons Rethink Isolation, Saving Money, Lives and Sanity," by Erica Goode, The New York Times, March 10, 2012.
"Colorado prisons turn away from heavy use of solitary confinement," by Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, June 4, 2012.
"Less restriction equals less violence at Maine State Prison," by Alex Barber, Bangor Daily News, June 15, 2012.
"Isolating prisoners less common in Washington than most places," by Alexis Krell, The News Tribune, July 10, 2012.
RESOURCES FOR FAITH GROUPS
"In Defense of Human Dignity," interfaith statement from faith leaders in New Jersey. Please download and distribute for signatures, or click this direct link for an e-signature.
"Statement Against Prolonged Solitary Confinement" for signing and distributing within faith communities, The National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
"Breaking Down the Box," documentary, posters, and discussion guide, The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, 2016.
"Ending Solitary Confinement," T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
"Interfaith Principles Guiding Our Work on U.S. Prisons," The National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
"Spirituality in Dark Places: The Ethics of Solitary Confinement," [BOOK] by Derek S. Jeffreys, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES
"Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison" [DOCUMENTARY], HBO, 2017.
"Stories of Life in Solitary Confinement" [SHORT FILM], National Geographic, 2016.
"Breaking Down the Box" [DOCUMENTARY], by Matthew Gossage, The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, 2016.
Art displays by political prisoner Ojore Lutalo; to learn more, or to schedule an exhibit or showcase, email Bonnie Kerness.
"Mariposa and the Saint" [PLAY], by Julia Steele Allen.
RESOURCES FOR PRISONERS
"Survivor's Manual: A manual written by and for people living in control units," American Friends Service Committee, 2012.