Unlock the Box organized a rally on Thursday in D.C. at the Foundry United Methodist Church to end solitary confinement in D.C. Jail and raise awareness of the adverse effects it has on inmates and its returning citizens.
Its negative impacts are a story Herbert Robinson, a survivor of solitary confinement and advocate with Unlock the Box, knows too well.
Robinson said being locked away in solitary confinement for over a year in federal prison changed how he socialized with his friends and family when he was released.
“I [find] myself here at home, and I don’t reach out to people; my family and I don’t have one of the best relationships,” he said. “I’m not that friendly person that calls and checks on everybody. And I hear that a whole lot, and I don’t know what to tell them, but I know that’s where it comes from.”
Solitary Confinement Considered ‘Torture’
Robinson said his solitary confinement experience felt like “torture,” a word the United Nations also uses to describe the practice.
According to the United Nations, the act of subjecting individuals to solitary confinement for a duration exceeding 15 consecutive days is recognized as a form of torture.
Robinson said, “There are returning citizens that will tell you they did multiple years [in solitary confinement].”
He also said that he is currently in contact with a male inmate who told him solitary confinement is “still happening” in D.C. Jail.
To protect the inmate, Robinson doesn’t want to reveal his name but explained the inmate told him that he recently did over 20 days in solitary confinement for a claim that ended up being baseless.
The Informer reached out to the D.C. Department of Corrections for a comment on whether they are still using solitary confinement and the cause of the death of Sincere Howard. He was 23 and was found unresponsive in their facility on Thursday, May 16.
Information surrounding Howard’s death is still unknown. The Informer reached out to the Department of Corrections spokesperson about the cause of his death and didn’t receive a comment.
Dr. Terry Kupers, a psychiatrist and author of the book “Prison Madness: The Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars and What We Must Do About It,” said in a New York Times report that solitary confinement results in the decline of both mental and physical well-being. He also said it leads to conditions such as psychosis, depression, heart disease and even mortality.
Robinson echoed the report, chronicling his own experiences.
“You lose that social, emotional, intelligence and awareness about you,” Robinson said.
He also referenced the death of inmates in D.C. Jail and is now is calling for the implementation of the ERASE (Eliminating Restrictive and Segregated Enclosure) Act, which was introduced in October 2023 by D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1).
Nadeau spoke at the rally, referencing the United Nation’s findings around solitary confinement, saying it’s “happening right here in the D.C. Jail — torture and a violation of human rights.”
The councilwoman told the crowd that after inmates leave solitary confinement, their mental health is severely compromised, and she argued it makes the rehabilitation of the person nearly impossible.
“Our returning citizens are released directly back into our communities after spending years in isolation, and we wonder why they don’t immediately thrive,” she said.
There isn’t a clear path on whether D.C. will end its solitary confinement practices, but other states, such as Washington, say they are working toward changes in the facilities.
In 2023, Washington’s State Department of Corrections Secretary Cheryl Strange pledged to reduce solitary confinement by up to 90% within five years. They cited that the new practice would “reduce recidivism by setting up individuals for a greater chance of success when released.”
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that success is instrumental to the U.S. economy. Their research shows that it can boost the country’s workforce, adding that more people in prisons means fewer people working.
Advocating to End Solitary Confinement
Natasha White, a fellow solitary survivor is director of community engagement at the Interfaith Action for Human Rights, an organization that educates the D.C. area on how to abolish unnecessary practices such as solitary confinement in correction systems. She opened up about her experiences in solitary confinement during the Sept. 19 rally.
White was in solitary confinement for four years in a place she describes as a room with “no sunlight or no meaningful connection.” Despite her experience of mental anguish, she is using her experience to encourage others to speak up for those who may not have the tools or mental willpower to do so themselves.
“That’s why I am here today to tell you that D.C. can and must do better,” she said. “The ERASE solitary confined Act is our chance to end this torture once and for all.”
Nadeau’s proposed legislation aims to prohibit the utilization of solitary confinement, with the exception of brief periods for individuals at risk of self-harm or requiring medical isolation. Additionally, it would permit all residents, except for medical necessities like mental health, to have eight hours outside their cell.
D.C. needs to hold a hearing on the bill to begin the talks on the legislation, according to Nadeau.
“This bill would require that every person in D.C. jails gets at least eight hours out of cell time, each day and it will provide mental health services for those who need it,” White said during her speech.
Eden: Great story, good job. Two things: Please remember that any death, anywhere, in any jurisdiction, of a person is public record, and deaths are overseen by either the coroner’s office or the chief medical examiner’s office. All causes of death, death investigation findings and toxicological test results are PUBLIC RECORD. A corrections department does not have the final authority on an official cause of death. So please call the D.C. coroner/chief medical examiner’s for official causes of death. Secondly, the issue of solitary confinement is a nationwide problem and a D.C. and Baltimore area regional problem. It’s not just only a D C. problem. Other regional and national stories have been written and investigated about this issue.