Torture is a Moral Issue, Recommend Book : 23/7 by Keramet Reiter

The United States is a global outlier in its use of incarceration  and solitary confinement, with five percent of the  world’s population yet twenty-five percent of the world’s incarcerated. Recent developments at the United Nations  are animating efforts to bring the U.S. in line with  international human rights standards. Our faith communities have an important role to play and with your support NRCAT will continue to resource and mobilize communities to do their part.   A contribution today will help us reach our $10,000 year-end matching challenge -- doubling your impact. Last December, the UN General Assembly approved major  revisions to the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, guidelines first drafted in 1955. The revised rules are called the “Nelson Mandela Rules” in honor of the late South  African President who was incarcerated for 27 years under the apartheid regime. The Mandela Rules prohibit indefinite solitary confinement, prohibit prolonged solitary confinement beyond  15 consecutive days, and ban solitary for those most  vulnerable to its impacts.  The rules state that “solitary confinement shall be used  only in exceptional cases as a last resort, for as short  a time as possible and subject to independent review.”  These standards reflect the recommendations of the now former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Méndez,  whose 2011 report on solitary is shaping the way policy-makers think about the torture of isolation in U.S. prisons, jails and detention centers. Remarkably, the U.S. delegation to the commission that drafted the Mandela Rules included top  state prison administrators from Colorado and Washington  who have seen first-hand the profound human cost of solitary on incarcerated people and prison staff and the benefits of implementing humane alternatives. This fall, I joined an event hosted by Mr. Méndez at the United Nations marking the release of a new report,  Seeing into Solitary, comparing the use of solitary in  35 jurisdictions globally. The findings in the report  underscore that the U.S. is among the most punitive  in its use of isolation globally and are a call to action for communities of faith and conscience. With your support through a tax-deductible donation,  NRCAT will resource religious communities with the  tools to promote the Mandela Rules to decision-makers  at all levels of government. Your support gives  NRCAT the financial resources to fight the  human rights crisis of solitary and work to  make human rights a reality for all.  Thank you for your generosity. Rev. Laura Markle Downton Director of U.S. Prisons Policy & Program Bridget Mary's Response: Our entire criminal justice system is broken and in need of radical reform. On the issue of solidary confinement, I recommend that you read 23/7 by Keramet Reiter who shares stories and research about the history of California's policy of solitary confinement, a disturbing story of cruelty that is beyond the imagination for the emotional suffering and harm it has perpetuated on human beings in prison. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org