New this week from Solitary Watch: 

Dwayne “Bim” Staats has spent nearly 17 years in solitary confinement in prisons across Pennsylvania and Delaware. In his essay for Voices from Solitary, Staats writes from the perspective of his nephew when he was three years old, drawing from Staats’s personal experiences, conversations with his family, and stories shared with him over the years. This story captures both the brutal realities of visiting a loved one in solitary confinement and the enduring strength of familial connection. Solitary Watch 

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

Current and former prison officials wrote a letter to Senator Dick Durbin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, pushing back against claims that solitary confinement enhances safety. They argued instead that it causes harm and increases violence for both incarcerated people and staff. The letter cites international standards of safety and successful alternative programs, while also supporting legislation such as New York’s HALT Solitary Confinement Law. Amsterdam News | For more on how solitary confinement fails to reduce prison violence, see our fact sheet “Solitary Confinement and Prison Safety.” Solitary Watch 

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The campaign to fully implement Local Law 42, which aims to ban solitary confinement in New York City jails, continues on despite efforts by Mayor Eric Adams to block the ban. The deaths of people in custody in New York City, like Kalief Browder and Layleen Polanco, illustrates the severe physical and psychological harm caused by solitary confinement. “I’m really tired of holding signs with people’s names who are no longer with us,” said #HALTSolitary organizer Anisah Sabur. Despite clear evidence of solitary confinement and the violence that it causes, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams argues that solitary confinement has not been used since 2019 and that the law would permit unsafe circumstances for incarcerated people. | Amsterdam News

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited Marcy Correctional Facility in Stormville, New York, amid controversy over the paused HALT Act, which is supposed to limit solitary confinement. There is also an ongoing lawsuit from an incarcerated person at the prison who argues he was subjected to extreme isolation and the harmful effects of solitary confinement. Lawmakers are pushing new reforms to increase transparency and address abuses in all New York prisons. The City | More than 215 organization sent a letter to Gov. Hochul demanding the HALT Act be reinstated. Additionally, The Legal Aid Society also filed a lawsuit challenging the Governor’s decision to suspend the HALT Act during the wildcat strike earlier this year. Norwood News 

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Josh Smith, an individual who was formerly incarcerated in federal prison and pardoned by Donald Trump, has been appointed deputy director of the Bureau of Prisons, making him the first formerly incarcerated person to hold a position within the agency. Smith’s appointment signals a  shift in leadership amid ongoing criticism of the bureau. The agency continues to face major issues, including corruption and violence across the federal prison system. NBC News | At last count, more than 11,000 people were held in solitary by the federal Bureau of Prisons. The American Prospect  

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In Nebraska, where solitary confinement cells are increasingly used for double-bunking due to overcrowding, Legislative Bill 99 would require written consent from incarcerated people before assigning two people to a one-person cell. Double-bunking is often the cause of violence and has resulted in multiple deaths. Although this regulation requires written consent from incarcerated people, it does not account for the pressure that the incarcerated people are under to give consent. While LB 99 attempts to offer a choice, it fails to address the broader crisis of mass incarceration and the dangerous misuse of solitary confinement as a practice. Filter

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In a deeply personal narrative, Tariq MaQbool documents his time in solitary confinement while incarcerated in New Jersey. Through painful recollections, MaQbool shares the psychological toll of state mandated isolation. He recounts traumatic experiences, but also conveys a story of resilience, as he used his childhood memories of Pakistan to ground him. His story is both a testament to the inhumanity of solitary confinement and a reminder of the strength that he found in his spirit. Al Jazeera

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A recent op-ed, written by physicians and academics, calls on Hawaii Governor Josh Green to sign Senate Bill 104 into law and to further progress toward an end to solitary confinement. The piece highlights the fact that solitary confinement is a public health issue both in Hawaii and across the United States, as the authors explain the physical and mental health deterioration that occurs through the state-sanctioned violence of solitary. Civil Beat 

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