Solitary Watch
@solitarywatch.bsky.social
Shining light into the darkest corners of the U.S. punishment system. http://solitarywatch.org | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/swdispatch | Support: http://bit.ly/givesw
Not only are incarcerated kids receiving drastically less educational instruction time than their non-incarcerated counterparts, but time in the classroom is also being replaced with time in solitary confinement.
Learn more: tinyurl.com/3y5k9crk
Learn more: tinyurl.com/3y5k9crk
December 5, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Not only are incarcerated kids receiving drastically less educational instruction time than their non-incarcerated counterparts, but time in the classroom is also being replaced with time in solitary confinement.
Learn more: tinyurl.com/3y5k9crk
Learn more: tinyurl.com/3y5k9crk
We've extended the deadline to December 31 for the next round of our Ridgeway Reporting Project, which supports the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers. If you know someone who qualifies, please share our application guidelines!
solitarywatch.org/reporting-pr...
solitarywatch.org/reporting-pr...
December 5, 2025 at 4:55 PM
We've extended the deadline to December 31 for the next round of our Ridgeway Reporting Project, which supports the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers. If you know someone who qualifies, please share our application guidelines!
solitarywatch.org/reporting-pr...
solitarywatch.org/reporting-pr...
New York lawmakers urge Governor Hochul to protect the HALT Act. 57 women or their families have filed federal lawsuits alleging medical negligence. More than two dozen pregnant women report being placed in solitary confinement for requesting medical care.
Read more:
tinyurl.com/4ur6ewmp
Read more:
tinyurl.com/4ur6ewmp
December 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
New York lawmakers urge Governor Hochul to protect the HALT Act. 57 women or their families have filed federal lawsuits alleging medical negligence. More than two dozen pregnant women report being placed in solitary confinement for requesting medical care.
Read more:
tinyurl.com/4ur6ewmp
Read more:
tinyurl.com/4ur6ewmp
Today is #GivingTuesday, and our appeal comes from Kwaneta Harris—widely published and Prison Journalist of the Year. Even more remarkably, she had been writing from solitary confinement until recently. Consider a gift today, @NewsMatch will double it: tinyurl.com/3pmf5ysa
December 2, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Today is #GivingTuesday, and our appeal comes from Kwaneta Harris—widely published and Prison Journalist of the Year. Even more remarkably, she had been writing from solitary confinement until recently. Consider a gift today, @NewsMatch will double it: tinyurl.com/3pmf5ysa
More than a decade has passed since Saleem shared his experience in isolation. Yet, his words grow in power with each year that passes. As prisons continue to reduce human beings to statistics, more and more folks are fighting back.
Read more: tinyurl.com/3x92fafu
Read more: tinyurl.com/3x92fafu
December 1, 2025 at 10:04 PM
More than a decade has passed since Saleem shared his experience in isolation. Yet, his words grow in power with each year that passes. As prisons continue to reduce human beings to statistics, more and more folks are fighting back.
Read more: tinyurl.com/3x92fafu
Read more: tinyurl.com/3x92fafu
Indigenous people are incarcerated in disproportionate numbers. Their unresolved traumas increase the chances of placement in solitary confinement. Even with this, Charles reminds us that this is not inevitable.
Read here: tinyurl.com/juedmxs7
Read here: tinyurl.com/juedmxs7
November 27, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Indigenous people are incarcerated in disproportionate numbers. Their unresolved traumas increase the chances of placement in solitary confinement. Even with this, Charles reminds us that this is not inevitable.
Read here: tinyurl.com/juedmxs7
Read here: tinyurl.com/juedmxs7
Ten years ago, the leading cause of death among detained immigrants was suicide. With ICE's increased activity, there's no telling how many immigrants with mental illnesses will experience worsening symptoms due to being placed in #solitaryconfinement.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
November 21, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Ten years ago, the leading cause of death among detained immigrants was suicide. With ICE's increased activity, there's no telling how many immigrants with mental illnesses will experience worsening symptoms due to being placed in #solitaryconfinement.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
Read more here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
It's NewsMatch ! All donations to @solitarywatch.bsky.social are x2! Solitary is a humanitarian crisis hiding in plain sight—help us bring light to the thousands suffering in darkness with a matched gift from you, and tell a friend. For many, we are all they have. solitarywatch.org/donate
November 20, 2025 at 11:36 PM
It's NewsMatch ! All donations to @solitarywatch.bsky.social are x2! Solitary is a humanitarian crisis hiding in plain sight—help us bring light to the thousands suffering in darkness with a matched gift from you, and tell a friend. For many, we are all they have. solitarywatch.org/donate
Weekly Brief: NY advocates call on Mayor-Elect Mamdani to close Rikers. In CA and AZ, civil rights groups stand against the use of solitary confinement in ICE detention facilities. Once again, WI lawmakers were denied access to the state's prisons.
tinyurl.com/43pzpa29
tinyurl.com/43pzpa29
November 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Weekly Brief: NY advocates call on Mayor-Elect Mamdani to close Rikers. In CA and AZ, civil rights groups stand against the use of solitary confinement in ICE detention facilities. Once again, WI lawmakers were denied access to the state's prisons.
tinyurl.com/43pzpa29
tinyurl.com/43pzpa29
🚨 Spring 2026 Internship Applications are OPEN!
Responsibilities include assisting with reporting, updating resources, supporting outreach, and managing correspondence with people in prison.
More Info Here: tinyurl.com/upky6rdh
📅 Apply by Dec 1
#CriminalJusticeReform #Journalism #Internship
Responsibilities include assisting with reporting, updating resources, supporting outreach, and managing correspondence with people in prison.
More Info Here: tinyurl.com/upky6rdh
📅 Apply by Dec 1
#CriminalJusticeReform #Journalism #Internship
November 15, 2025 at 3:00 PM
🚨 Spring 2026 Internship Applications are OPEN!
Responsibilities include assisting with reporting, updating resources, supporting outreach, and managing correspondence with people in prison.
More Info Here: tinyurl.com/upky6rdh
📅 Apply by Dec 1
#CriminalJusticeReform #Journalism #Internship
Responsibilities include assisting with reporting, updating resources, supporting outreach, and managing correspondence with people in prison.
More Info Here: tinyurl.com/upky6rdh
📅 Apply by Dec 1
#CriminalJusticeReform #Journalism #Internship
Our new fact sheet, “The High Cost of Solitary Confinement,” breaks down what solitary really costs — to people, communities, and taxpayers.
It exposes why this failed practice drains resources and highlights smarter, more effective alternatives.
Check it out today!
tinyurl.com/3b7a53ks
It exposes why this failed practice drains resources and highlights smarter, more effective alternatives.
Check it out today!
tinyurl.com/3b7a53ks
November 15, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Our new fact sheet, “The High Cost of Solitary Confinement,” breaks down what solitary really costs — to people, communities, and taxpayers.
It exposes why this failed practice drains resources and highlights smarter, more effective alternatives.
Check it out today!
tinyurl.com/3b7a53ks
It exposes why this failed practice drains resources and highlights smarter, more effective alternatives.
Check it out today!
tinyurl.com/3b7a53ks
New report finds immigrants with disabilities are especially vulnerable to solitary. In NY, people in psychiatric crisis are isolated instead of treated. At SCCF in Tennessee, some are even requesting solitary just for the chance to eat.
Read here: tinyurl.com/eaafwpyt
Read here: tinyurl.com/eaafwpyt
November 13, 2025 at 10:04 PM
New report finds immigrants with disabilities are especially vulnerable to solitary. In NY, people in psychiatric crisis are isolated instead of treated. At SCCF in Tennessee, some are even requesting solitary just for the chance to eat.
Read here: tinyurl.com/eaafwpyt
Read here: tinyurl.com/eaafwpyt
Christopher, held in #SolitaryConfinement in PA, requested a photo of “me in an amusement park with the wife and children I don’t have.” Here’s what people sent in. #PhotoRequestsfromSolitary
What would someone in isolation want to see? Visit photorequestsfromsolitary.org to find out!
What would someone in isolation want to see? Visit photorequestsfromsolitary.org to find out!
November 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Christopher, held in #SolitaryConfinement in PA, requested a photo of “me in an amusement park with the wife and children I don’t have.” Here’s what people sent in. #PhotoRequestsfromSolitary
What would someone in isolation want to see? Visit photorequestsfromsolitary.org to find out!
What would someone in isolation want to see? Visit photorequestsfromsolitary.org to find out!
Artist Chris Wilson dares readers to visualize the societal changes they want but may seem impossible. "Positive Delusions," a physical manifestation of his 117 days in isolation, is how he did just that.
Curious about what the colors mean? Read here: tinyurl.com/55rhmej9
Curious about what the colors mean? Read here: tinyurl.com/55rhmej9
November 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Artist Chris Wilson dares readers to visualize the societal changes they want but may seem impossible. "Positive Delusions," a physical manifestation of his 117 days in isolation, is how he did just that.
Curious about what the colors mean? Read here: tinyurl.com/55rhmej9
Curious about what the colors mean? Read here: tinyurl.com/55rhmej9
Weekly Brief: The passing of an incarcerated man in Washington State exposes the deadly consequences of "treating" addiction with isolation. Judge approves $6.75 million settlement over violence against men at MA prison.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/2vcxsanr
Read more here: tinyurl.com/2vcxsanr
November 6, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Weekly Brief: The passing of an incarcerated man in Washington State exposes the deadly consequences of "treating" addiction with isolation. Judge approves $6.75 million settlement over violence against men at MA prison.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/2vcxsanr
Read more here: tinyurl.com/2vcxsanr
Even against the most vulnerable, solitary confinement is used without second thought. This inhumane practice means that hundreds of women experience postpartum depression on top of the psychological damage of isolation.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4muu6zfw
Read more: tinyurl.com/4muu6zfw
November 4, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Even against the most vulnerable, solitary confinement is used without second thought. This inhumane practice means that hundreds of women experience postpartum depression on top of the psychological damage of isolation.
Read more: tinyurl.com/4muu6zfw
Read more: tinyurl.com/4muu6zfw
On this #InternationalDayofPoliticalPrisoners, we draw on the wisdom of the late great Herman Wallace, one of the Angola 3. In the face of increased restrictions, the fighting spirit of those inside and outside of prison only grows stronger.
Read here: tinyurl.com/2uy3n2pk
Read here: tinyurl.com/2uy3n2pk
October 30, 2025 at 9:00 PM
On this #InternationalDayofPoliticalPrisoners, we draw on the wisdom of the late great Herman Wallace, one of the Angola 3. In the face of increased restrictions, the fighting spirit of those inside and outside of prison only grows stronger.
Read here: tinyurl.com/2uy3n2pk
Read here: tinyurl.com/2uy3n2pk
Weekly Brief: Former Tunisian soccer player freed after 10+ years in federal solitary. Trump’s ICE isolated a whistleblower who exposed sexual assault. Judge allows class-action suit challenging youth solitary in NC.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/4s996yw7
Read more here: tinyurl.com/4s996yw7
October 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Weekly Brief: Former Tunisian soccer player freed after 10+ years in federal solitary. Trump’s ICE isolated a whistleblower who exposed sexual assault. Judge allows class-action suit challenging youth solitary in NC.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/4s996yw7
Read more here: tinyurl.com/4s996yw7
In an hour, the Journey to Justice Bus will make its last stop in Washington D.C. Join them for a National Day of Action and stand with Members of Congress and local organizers to call for an immediate end to this human rights crisis and demand federal action.
October 30, 2025 at 1:01 PM
In an hour, the Journey to Justice Bus will make its last stop in Washington D.C. Join them for a National Day of Action and stand with Members of Congress and local organizers to call for an immediate end to this human rights crisis and demand federal action.
Trump denounces Santos' time in solitary confinement, while over 11,000 people currently remain in isolation in federal prison. Bills to expand correctional oversight are stalled in talks with the NY Governor. Experts urge ending isolation in ICE detention.
Read here: tinyurl.com/46tarxdj
Read here: tinyurl.com/46tarxdj
October 23, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Trump denounces Santos' time in solitary confinement, while over 11,000 people currently remain in isolation in federal prison. Bills to expand correctional oversight are stalled in talks with the NY Governor. Experts urge ending isolation in ICE detention.
Read here: tinyurl.com/46tarxdj
Read here: tinyurl.com/46tarxdj
Calling all of our folks in NY:
The Journey to Justice Bus will be in stopping in Buffalo (10/20), Westchester (10/22) and NYC (10/23) all week!
Don't miss the chance to learn about the human cost of solitary confinement!!
More details here: journeytojusticetour.com/schedule/
The Journey to Justice Bus will be in stopping in Buffalo (10/20), Westchester (10/22) and NYC (10/23) all week!
Don't miss the chance to learn about the human cost of solitary confinement!!
More details here: journeytojusticetour.com/schedule/
October 20, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Calling all of our folks in NY:
The Journey to Justice Bus will be in stopping in Buffalo (10/20), Westchester (10/22) and NYC (10/23) all week!
Don't miss the chance to learn about the human cost of solitary confinement!!
More details here: journeytojusticetour.com/schedule/
The Journey to Justice Bus will be in stopping in Buffalo (10/20), Westchester (10/22) and NYC (10/23) all week!
Don't miss the chance to learn about the human cost of solitary confinement!!
More details here: journeytojusticetour.com/schedule/
Black immigrants in ICE custody are six times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement than others — a stark reminder that anti-Blackness extends beyond prisons and into immigration enforcement.
Read more on #solitaryconfinement and immigrant detention here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
Read more on #solitaryconfinement and immigrant detention here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
October 17, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Black immigrants in ICE custody are six times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement than others — a stark reminder that anti-Blackness extends beyond prisons and into immigration enforcement.
Read more on #solitaryconfinement and immigrant detention here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
Read more on #solitaryconfinement and immigrant detention here: tinyurl.com/mrup4ty4
Weekly Brief: New documentary shows footage filmed on banned cellphones. A South Carolina initiative leads to an 83% decrease in chances of experiencing #solitaryconfinement. In Tennessee, 128 people were sent to isolation after mental health unit closed.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/3w8w5ud6
Read more here: tinyurl.com/3w8w5ud6
October 17, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Weekly Brief: New documentary shows footage filmed on banned cellphones. A South Carolina initiative leads to an 83% decrease in chances of experiencing #solitaryconfinement. In Tennessee, 128 people were sent to isolation after mental health unit closed.
Read more here: tinyurl.com/3w8w5ud6
Read more here: tinyurl.com/3w8w5ud6
As #HispanicHeritageMonth2025 comes to a close, we look to incarcerated Latinos who are more likely to be placed in solitary confinement under false allegations of gang activity. Their stories are too often erased. Let's honor this month by amplifying their voices to #EndSolitary
October 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
As #HispanicHeritageMonth2025 comes to a close, we look to incarcerated Latinos who are more likely to be placed in solitary confinement under false allegations of gang activity. Their stories are too often erased. Let's honor this month by amplifying their voices to #EndSolitary
Individuals with mental health conditions are more likely to be put in isolation, depriving them of care. This #WorldMentalHealthDay2025, learn more about solitary confinement: a revolving door of withheld treatment, torture, and exacerbated mental illness.
tinyurl.com/5e8asdd9
tinyurl.com/5e8asdd9
October 10, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Individuals with mental health conditions are more likely to be put in isolation, depriving them of care. This #WorldMentalHealthDay2025, learn more about solitary confinement: a revolving door of withheld treatment, torture, and exacerbated mental illness.
tinyurl.com/5e8asdd9
tinyurl.com/5e8asdd9