Free The Angola 3
Left to Right: Herman Wallace, Robert King, and Albert Woodfox
Facing the US Prison Problem 2.3 Million Strong: An Ex-Con’s View of the Mistakes and the Solution
The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture?
“One of six monkeys isolated for three months refused to eat after release and died five days later.” After several weeks in the company of other monkeys, most of them adjusted—but not those who had been isolated for longer periods. “Twelve months of isolation almost obliterated the animals socially,” Harlow wrote. They became permanently withdrawn, and they lived as outcasts—regularly set upon, as if inviting abuse.
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Awards
- Wrongful Convictions
- Annual Exonerations Report: A record number of years lost by those exonerated in 2018 April 9, 2019A record 1,639 years were lost in prison by those wrongly convicted and exonerated in 2018, according to “Exonerations in 2018,” the annual report of The National Registry of Exonerations (NRE). The 151 persons exonerated in 2018 spent an average … Continue reading →
- Two Florida Men Freed After 42 Years in Prison for a Murder They Didn’t Commit March 29, 2019Clifford Williams and Hubert Myers were convicted of murdering a woman while they were at a party in Jacksonville, Florida. Two women were shot in a nearby apartment, one of them fatally. The men were quickly arrested, convicted and sentenced … Continue reading →
- Wrongfully Convicted; “Beatrice Six” Awarded $28.1 million March 6, 2019“Six people were convicted of a murder they didn’t even remember. Now a county owes them $28 million.” Six people convicted of brutally raping and killing an elderly woman, but none of them had any memory of the crime . … Continue reading →
- Ohio Gov. Kasich signs landmark law on compensation for wrongful conviction December 21, 2018A landmark moment for wrongfully convicted Ohioans arrived today, promising a measure of justice and smoother integration back into society, when Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed into law House Bill 411. The new law opens the door for a number … Continue reading →
- International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and Innocence Organizations to Educate Criminal Justice Stakeholders on Psychological Factors that Contribute to Wrongful Convictions November 19, 2018New Video Series Supplements Trainings for Law Enforcement and Others Working in Criminal Justice The International Association of Chiefs of Police is joining the Innocence Project, the Ohio Innocence Project and other members of the Innocence Network to release a … Continue reading →
- Lessons of Wrongful Convictions: A Parent/Child Perspective November 5, 2018(Editor’s note: The author, Carey Hoffman, is Director of Communications for the Ohio Innocence Project.) Every parent aspires for the best for their child. That was true for Rickey Jackson’s parents. It was also true for Harold Franks, the Cleveland … Continue reading →
- New 360-degree Video Experience Allows Viewers to Step Into the Shoes of the Wrongfully Convicted October 2, 2018Only the people who have been through it can truly understand the experience of having been wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. But a new, 360-degree immersive video will allow viewers to gain greater understanding than ever before of what … Continue reading →
- NBA Coaches Join Awareness Effort for Wrongful Conviction Day 2018 October 2, 2018Today, Oct. 2, is Wrongful Conviction Day — the annual international observance dedicated to ending wrongful convictions and highlighting the plight of those convicted of crimes they did not commit. This year, Wrongful Conviction Day is highlighting the role that … Continue reading →
- Ten years after: An exoneree success story September 16, 2018“Hello truth.” That’s the phrase Robert McClendon will always be associated with. It was his reaction 10 years ago when DNA results were announced that conclusively cleared him of the rape charge that had cost him his freedom for the … Continue reading →
- NRE’s Newest Report: Years Lost, Human and Other Resources Squandered September 11, 2018The National Registry of Exonerations’ latest report reveals a staggering 20,080 years lost behind bars since 1989 by victims of wrongful conviction and, in an accompanying report, $2.2 billion in compensation paid to exonerees by governments, even though more than … Continue reading →
- Annual Exonerations Report: A record number of years lost by those exonerated in 2018 April 9, 2019
- Unlikely Friends
- Can Forgiveness Help? October 16, 2014Talking about the latest shooting tragedy in Santa Barbara with Living Your Inspired Life host, Susan Burrell. I’ve learned from others I interviewed that rarely is forgiveness immediate. We need to grieve and anger and frustration often come along with that. But sometimes, thru the pain, we arrive at forgiveness as the choice that heals Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Jackson Hole News & Guide – Crook, Cop He Shot Are Now Friends October 27, 2013“In the three decades after Jackson Hole resident Mark Farnham shot state trooper Stephen Watt five times the two have become fast friends. Now their story is making it to television. Farnham was living in Jackson in 1982 when, motivated by deep debt, he decided to rob a bank in Craig, Colo. During Farnham’s escape, Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Science of the Mind Coverage – Crossing the Chasm: Radical Forgiveness in Action October 21, 2013“When we go beyond ideas of right and wrong, as Rumi says, we enter a “field.” That field is oneness. Its seeds of peace, renewal, and love find fertile ground in our souls. To forgive is to allow these seeds to grow. Unlikely Friends, a documentary film by acclaimed director leslie Neale, presents remarkable stories Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Huffington Post Coverage – The Other F Word October 16, 2013Unlikely Friends director, Leslie Neale, write a blog on forgiveness in the Huffington Post: “No, not that F word! I’m talking about forgiveness — letting go, turning the other cheek. That thing our predominantly Judeo/Christian society teaches us to do but rarely means for us to practice, especially when we or our loved ones have Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- An Editor Reflects: Paul Westmacott September 9, 2013I have often wondered where my film career would take me. So many times, I feel that the project picks me rather than me picking the project. It’s sometimes a vulnerable feeling, as an editor, to think that one is not necessarily in control of their career path. But I have been very fortunate thus Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Shift Network Features Unlikely Friends August 28, 2013“I think it was selfishness that brought me to make films about criminal justice reform. I was eight months pregnant when I witnessed a program of transformational healing for inmates at a Louisiana State Penitentiary. While sitting in a circle with hardened criminals, I immediately realized that the “monsters” I sat with could have been Continue Reading […]Unlikely Friends
- Summer of Peace Interview August 12, 2013This interview is part of the Summer of Peace Summit a free global telesummit featuring interviews of many of the world’s leading peace builders! The Summer of Peace is a call to action – inviting us all and providing specific actions and steps we can take to create both inner peace in our own lives Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Reaction to San Francisco Screening July 17, 2013What an amazing film. It was my story. I was nearly killed 7 years ago in a robbery by 4 guys on the street, one of whom was most responsible and got the biggest rap, attempted murder. I spent four years trying to find a way to meet him when I finally met Rochelle Edwards Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- CBS Los Angeles April 30, 2013Andrea Fujii gives the full report on the L.A. Benefit screening of Unlikely Friends.Unlikely Friends
- LA Progressive April 30, 2013Unlikely Friends: When Victims and Perpetrators Meet A few years back, after I spent an evening at a halfway house for men on parole, Sister Mary Sean Hodges challenged me. She has worked tirelessly through the Office of Restorative Justice, LA Archdiocese, on behalf of incarcerated men and women and those seeking to reenter society. Continue ReadingUnlikely Friends
- Can Forgiveness Help? October 16, 2014
- Texas Prison Bid’ness
- Somali Refugees Beaten by ICE Speak OutAs an update to our previous story, “LaSalle Guards Beat, Pepper Sprayed African Asylum Seekers,” The Intercept reported on the grave abuses suffered by 30 Somali refugees through the story of one of the survivors, Guled Muhumed, this month. Muhumed had spent six months in ICE custody in eleven different facilities. He arrived to the West Texas Detention Fac […]
- Laura Monterrosa Released from T. Don Hutto Detention CenterFollowing a four month campaign and mounting community pressure, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Laura Monterrosa from T. Don Hutto Detention Center on Friday, March 16.This victory came after Monterrosa reported sexual assault by a CoreCivic (formerly CCA, or Corrections Corporation of America) guard in November. While ICE and the William […]
- LaSalle Guards Beat, Pepper Sprayed African Asylum SeekersIn a shocking report, advocates exposed that 80 African detainees were subjected to physical and psychological torture by guards employed by private prison company LaSalle Corrections at the West Texas Detention Facility in Sierra Blanca. The San Antonio Express-News reported that the evidence for the report came from interviews with 30 men from Somalia who […]
- Bats Attack Detainees in Rio Grande The Texas Tribune reported that two immigrants detained at Rio Grande Detention Center suffered bat bites earlier this month. The private immigrant prison, operated by GEO Group, At least one person was undergoing treatment in case the bat could infect with rabies. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the bites while it stated the facility was under […]
- Sadat Ibrahim Files Lawsuit for Prolonged DetentionThis month, San Antonio Express-News covered the story of Sadat Ibrahim, a gay asylum seeker from Ghana, who has filed a lawsuit with several other immigrants against Immigration and Customs Enforcement for holding asylum seekers in “onerous conditions” to deter them from pursuing their claims.The lawsuit states that the government is subjecting immigrants “ […]
- State Senator Bribery Trial DelayedThe bribery cases against State Senator Carlos Uresti and former Reeves County Judge Jimmy Galindo continue in their profiting from Reeves County Detention Complex. KSAT reported developments this month that Uresti was scheduled alongside businessman Vernon Farthing to be tried in May. As of March 19, according to San Antonio Express News, Uresti’s trial has […]
- Audit Reveals ICE Failed to Follow Procurement Guidelines, High Cost for Texas Detention CenterThe Texas Monitor reported this month that an audit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed financial irresponsibility that cost detainees and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General states that ICE used the town of Eloy, Arizona as a middleman to contract wi […]
- Lawsuit against CoreCivic Condemns Forced LaborHutto Detention Center has been in the spotlight since three women came forward last November to report complaints of sexual assault at the hands of guards in the facility. Now, a class action lawsuit against Corecivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA) has been filed by Martha Gonzalez on behalf of detainees who have been forced to work i […]
- Congressional letter calls for investigation of T. Don HuttoOn Monday, February 26, a group of 43 Democratic representatives sent a letter urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to take immediate action to stop sexual assault in Texas detention facilities. The letter calls for a review of the agency’s handling of sexual assault complaints and an expedited audit T. Don Hutto Detention Center following three […]
- Littlefield Revealed for In-Correct CareIn a damning exposé, the Texas Observer reported on the insufficient treatment and inhumane conditions at Texas Civil Commitment Center in Littlefield, Texas. The Texas Civil Commitment Center is a lockdown facility for men who have been convicted of sex offenses, operated by Correct Care Recovery Solutions in the former Bill Clayton Detention Center. The st […]
- Somali Refugees Beaten by ICE Speak Out
- The Prison Enquirer
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Category Archives: Solitary Confinement
Report Shows Even More Evidence Of The Misuse Of Solitary Confinement
WASHINGTON — A report released this week by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonpartisan nonprofit based in New York, provides yet more evidence of the misuse of solitary confinement. The researchers add to a growing body of evidence that … Continue reading
Is Solitary Confinement a Form of Torture? Q&A with journalist James Ridgeway
“Obama says we don’t torture, but a lot of this is straight-up torture,” says journalism legend James Ridgeway. “We call Guantanamo and Afghanistan torture and we never look at our own stuff.” Ridgeway is talking about the growing use – … Continue reading
Posted in Angola 3, Control Unit, History, Insanity, Mental Health, Sensory Deprivation, SHU, Solitary Confinement, Solitary Watch, Torture
Tagged abuse, Angola Three, lockdown, Mental health, SHU, Solitary confinement, Solitary Watch
‘It’s Torture’: Pirate Bay Founder Kept In Solitary Awaiting Hacking Trial
Published on Dec 17, 2013 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has slammed Sweden over Gottfrid Svartholm’s case. Since his transfer to a Danish prison, the Pirate Bay founder has been kept in solitary confinement and denied access to mail and reading material. … Continue reading
RIP Herman Wallace – The “Muhammad Ali of the Criminal Justice System”
This morning we lost without a doubt the biggest, bravest, and brashest personality in the political prisoner world. It is with great sadness that we write with the news of Herman Wallace’s passing. Herman never did anything half way. He embraced his many … Continue reading
Free At Last! Herman Wallace Has Finally Been Released
After a long, dramatic day, we are humbled to report that the indomitable, irrepressible Herman Wallace has just been released after spending over 4 decades in solitary confinement. Even after Judge Jackson’s late evening ruling denying the State’s attempt at a stay and again ordering … Continue reading
Solitary confinement for students will continue: Oregon schools easily bypass ban on “isolation booths”
“You have two adults dragging you into a room and locking the door behind you and you’re just a little kid and you don’t know what’s going on…” via Police State USA – PORTLAND, OR — Last year, a parent’s … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Confined Kids, Ethics, Insanity, Public Safety, Reform, Solitary Confinement, Torture
Tagged Isolation booth, Oregon, PORTLAND, Solitary confinement, State school
11 Comments
Opening the Box: Sarah Shourd on Herman Wallace, California Hunger Strikers and the Horror of Solitary Confinement
Last month, we were devastated to learn that the Angola 3’s Herman Wallace had been diagnosed with liver cancer, and that he was continuing to be held in isolation in a locked room at Hunt Correctional Center’s prison infirmary. Reflecting on … Continue reading
The Horrible Psychology of Solitary Confinement
“You can’t starve people. You can’t put them into a hotbox or maim them,” she continued. “If you could do brain scans to show that people suffer permanent damage, that could make solitary look less like some form of distress, … Continue reading
California Prisoners Launch New Hunger Strike to Protest Solitary Confinement
Solitary Watch – “Hundreds of people held in California prisons are expected to launch their third large-scale hunger strike in two years today. The current strike, announced by leaders at Pelican Bay State Prison on February 14th, is seen as a resumption … Continue reading
Petition | California State Assembly: Pass SB 61 to Limit Solitary Confinement of Youth in California | Change.org
Dear Friends, We urge you to take a moment for California’s youth. One final hurdle remains for passage of Senate Bill 61, a bill to limit the harmful practice of placing young people in solitary confinement in California. Your support … Continue reading
Spirituality In Dark Places
Spirituality in Dark Places explores the spiritual consequences and ethics of modern solitary confinement. Jeffreys emphasizes how solitary confinement damages our spiritual lives, focusing particularly on how it destroys our relationship to time and undermines our creativity. Solitary inmates experience … Continue reading
ACLU Demands DHS End Solitary Confinement of Children | ACLU – Colorado
ACLU Demands Department of Human Services End Solitary Confinement of Children in Pueblo Residential Treatment Center Prolonged seclusion of children at El Pueblo Boys and Girls Ranch violates Department’s child care regulations DENVER – In a letter sent today, the … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, ACLU, Colorado, Confined Kids, Solitary Confinement
2 Comments
Colo. governor orders audit of sentence records as Investigators search for links in three killings
By Erica Goode and Dan Frosch | NEW YORK TIMES APRIL 05, 2013 When Tom Clements, the head of Colorado’s prison system, was shot to death at his front door last month, the killing seemed a planned assassination … Continue reading
Posted in Abuse, Colorado, Control Unit, SHU, Solitary Confinement, Solitary Watch, Surviving Solitary, Torture
1 Comment
The Horrifying Existence Of Solitary Confinement
“If we believe in basic human rights and dignity for all human beings, then we surely must object to solitary confinement.” Excerpts, SFBay View – “Imagine being locked in a cage alone for 22 ½ hours a day, sometimes for … Continue reading
Solitary confinement isn’t the solution for immigrant detainees – latimes.com
Solitary confinement in immigration detention centers across the nation is often overused and arbitrarily applied. According to data obtained by the National Immigrant Justice Center, as many as 300 immigrants, or about 1% of all detainees in the 50 largest … Continue reading
Former juvenile prisoner fights against locking away teens in solitary confinement
Rock Center Teens held in adult jails and prisons are often kept in solitary confinement for their own protection. On Friday’s edition of Rock Center, Ted Koppel investigated the mental health risks of solitary confinement on teenagers. Ted Koppel sat … Continue reading
Posted in Confined Kids, Control Unit, Mental Health, Solitary Confinement, Surviving Solitary
Tagged Juvenile Solitary
6 Comments
Criminal Justice System’s Dark Secret: Teenagers In Solitary Confinement
“For each of the past five years, roughly 100,000 juveniles have been held in adult jails and prisons, according to data from the Department of Justice.” ~~ “Ninety-one percent of the children who are serving time in adult jails and … Continue reading
New Mexico Man “Forgotten” In Solitary Confinement For 2 Years Gets $15.5 Million Dollar Settlement
This is a story from right here in our home county. Notice the slant of this article…starting with the original title, “New Mexico inmate left in solitary confinement for 2 years gets $15.5 million” which implies he had been convicted … Continue reading
Posted in New Mexico, Solitary Confinement, Torture
Tagged $15.5 million, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, Slevin, Solitary confinement
5 Comments
WyldMoonChyld
Steve McFarland
