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RI Solitary Confinement Resources & Press

See our fact sheet on the Reform Solitary Confinement Act and testimony from directly impacted individuals here

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Below are articles that highlight our and others' efforts to address this issue in Rhode Island:

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  • A vigil for Charlene Liberty, organized by her family and the Stop Torture RI Coalition

    • The vigil was held to honor Charlene’s life and to call for justice and meaningful change in her memory. (Up Rise RI, 2022). Read more

  • Anti-criminalization advocates gather at the State House to demand justice and reform. (ABC 6, 2022)

    • Stop Torture RI, joined by partner organizations, rallied at the Rhode Island State House to urge lawmakers to pass key legislation reforming the state’s criminal legal system. Read more

  • Activists gather at the Rhode Island State House to demand an end to mass criminalization and call for transformative justice. (Uprise RI, 2022)

    • Stop Torture RI, together with allied organizations, rallied at the Rhode Island State House to call on lawmakers to enact key legislation advancing reform of the state’s criminal legal system. Read more

Several people stand in the RI state house with signs that say, "Invest in communities," "Probation reform now," and other messages
A person sits in front of the RI State Housein our life-size mock solitary confinement cell. His fist is in the air.

  • Rally at the Rhode Island State House calls for an end to solitary confinement and the passage of reform legislation. (Uprise RI, 2021)​​

    • This article showcases our advocacy action featuring a replica solitary confinement cell, modeled after those inside RIDOC’s High Security facility, and includes videos and firsthand testimonies from coalition members who share their experiences and demands for reform. Read more

  • Passing the Reform Solitary Confinement Act would significantly limit the use of solitary confinement in Rhode Island’s prisons. (Uprise RI, 2021)

    • This opinion piece discusses the Restrictive Housing Act and a state House Committee hearing that included 30 people who testified in support of the RHA. â€‹Read more

  • The Stop Torture RI Coalition advocates for stronger limits on solitary confinement through the proposed Reform Solitary Confinement Act. (Brown Daily Herald, 2021)

    • This article examines our 2021 legislation, the Restrictive Housing Act, which was introduced to limit the use of solitary confinement and promote humane treatment within Rhode Island correctional facilities. Read more

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  • 'Spiritually and mentally harmed': Advocates push for limit on solitary confinement, WPRI, 2021

    • This article discusses our legislation, the Reform Solitary Confinement Act, that was introduced in 2021.Read more

  • The prison within the prison: A look at RI's supermaximum prison, College Hill Independent, 2021

    • This article details the conditions in RI's supermaximum prison, the High Security Center. Read more

  • Solitary confinement: A key part of the RI prison system or 'inhuman and cruel'?, Providence Journal, 2021

    • This article explores our bill, the Reform Solitary Confinement Act, who supports and opposes the bill and why. Read more

  • Out of sight, out of mind, UpriseRI, 2021

    • This article discusses the realities of being incarcerated in RIDOC's High Security facility at the ACI. Read more

Three people sit behind a table with signs that say, "Stop Torture in RI prisons" and other messages. A mock solitary confinement cell is next to them.
Two people sit behind a table that says, "End Solitary Confinement in Rhode Island." They are wearing "Solitary confinement is torture t-shirts. They sit in front of a mock solitary confinement cell. People gather around signing post cards.

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  • Some residents call on lawmakers to cut police funding, close ACI High Security Center, NBC 10 News, 2020 

    • People submitted written testimony for the House Finance Committee on Public Safety and the DOC hearing July 22, with calls to close High Side and defund the police. Read more

  • Solitary confinement has human and economic costs, Providence Journal, 2020

    • Opinion piece that highlights the expenses and harms of long-term solitary confinement in High Side and that other states moved away from supermax facilities and solitary confinement. Read more

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​Other Efforts

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  • Protest theater outside PVD City Hall demands an end to prison torture and isolation, UpriseRI, 2020​

    • RI COVID Response: Decarcerate NOW campaign hosted a rally against in-cell 23 hour lockdowns in the Adult Correctional Institutions during COVID-19. Read more

  • ACLU and Disability Rights Rhode Island sue RI Department of Corrections over solitary confinement for mentally ill inmates, Uprise RI, 2019

    • A lawsuit against RIDOC for violating the constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment by keeping individuals with SPMI in solitary confinement, including in High Side. Read more

People gather around a table that has a banner that says, "End solitary confinement in Rhode Island." They are talking to each other

  • Report of the Special Legislative Commission to Study and Assess the use of Solitary Confinement at the Rhode Island ACI, State of Rhode Island, 2017

    • This report reviews findings of a legislative commission charged with investigating solitary confinement. The Commission presents several policy recommendations, some of which have been implemented at the ACI. Read more

  • Boxed in: Ending solitary confinement in Rhode Island, College Hill Independent, 2016 

    • This article reviews a bill introduced in RI in 2016 to limit solitary confinement to 15 days and exclude certain populations from solitary confinement, H7481. The article discusses this bill in the context of other anti-solitary efforts. Read more

  • Prison officials to examine controversial use of solitary confinement, WPRI, 2016

    • This article covers solitary confinement in RIDOC' s Adult Correctional Institute, includes testimony from incarcerated people, issues with High Side's infrastructure, and reforms in other states Read more

  • R.I. prison system lacks resources to care for mentally ill inmates, Providence Journal, 2014

    • An exploration of D-Mod, a unit in High Security, improvements in mental health treatment there, and the harm solitary confinement has on individuals with mental illness. Read more

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