Seven Days in Solitary [1/5/14]
by Abby Taskier
The
following roundup features noteworthy news, reports and opinions on
solitary confinement from the past week that have not been covered in
other Solitary Watch posts.
• The Indo American News
reports on the story of Akaash Dalal, an Indian American teen who was
arrested for bombing four New Jersey synagogues. Dalal pleaded guilty,
and Dalal’s father claims that Akaash had nothing to do with the
bombing. While he awaits his trial, he’s been living in solitary, “holed
up in a tiny, windowless cell.”
• According to NBC,
after launching a nationwide investigation of detainees’ deaths in
restraint chairs, the NBC Charlotte I-Team found that more than “more
than three dozen men and women” have died in restraint chairs around the
country. Even with these findings, there is no widespread ban on the
use of chairs, aside from several human rights groups.
• In These Times
reports on the solitary confinement of Russell “Maroon” Shoatz, a
former member of the New African liberation movement convicted of
killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1970. In 2005, he was diagnosed
with prostate cancer, and although he merely pleads for human contact,
he still experiences confinement.
•
In Trenton, New Jersey, the Juvenile Justice Commission and Rutgers
University “have agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a federal lawsuit over
the solitary confinement” of two boys who suffered from mental illness
and were put into isolation for long stretches of time. Advocates hope
that the settlement will decrease and change the future use of solitary confinement in the Juvenile Justice Commission.
• The Washington Post
reports that in Louisville, Kentucky, a pair of hearing-impaired
prisoners sued the state of Kentucky for not providing proper
interpreter services. According to the men’s representation, Deborah
Golden, being deaf or hearing-impaired in prison is “like being in
solitary confinement even though you’re in the middle of people.”
• Amnesty International
reports on the fate of Albert Woodfox, a member of the Angola 3, whose
been held in solitary confinement for 40 years. On January 7th, the 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals will hold a hearing determining whether or not
Albert will be removed from solitary, and perhaps whether or not he will
be set free from prison entirely
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