Resources
Articles by SWASC Members:
Solitary Confinement’s Mockery of Human Rights by Mary Buser for The Washington Post
New York Abolished Long-Term Solitary. Will Guards Get With the Program? by Mary Buser for Filter
Humane Alternatives to Solitary Confinement are working. We visited three Colorado prisons to see for ourselves! by Mary Buser
The Ethical Conflict of Social Work Within a Carceral System by Mary Buser
Can Architects Help End Solitary Confinement? Creating a New Architecture of Justice and Healing by Nicole Capozziello for Solitary Watch
Herman Wallace: 26 Years of Letters, Art, Inspiration, and Loving Friendship Willow Katz interviews Wallace’s friend Sharon Willis
Compliance or Critical Thinking? by Terry Kupers, MD, MSP
Behind Enemy Lines: from Slavery to Mass Imprisonment by Bonnie Kerness
Social Workers Cannot Practice Ethically in a Correctional System Where Solitary Confinement Exists by Mary Gamble, MSW, LGSW
Marguerita Johnson-Tolson’s Speech at the Family Alliance March
How SWASC Saved My Life, Pt. 1 by Saint Solomon
Books:
Hell is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement edited by Jean Casella, James Ridgeway, and Sarah Shourd (and Accompanying Discussion Guide)
Solitary: A Biography by Albert Woodfox
Lockdown on Rikers: Shocking Stories of Abuse and Injustice at New York City's Notorious Jail by Mary Buser
23/7: Pelican Bay Prison and the Rise of Long-Term Solitary Confinement by Keramet Reiter
My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption by Ian Manuel
Six by Ten: Stories from Solitary edited by Taylor Pendergrass and Mateo Hoke
Solitary Confinement: Social Death and Its Afterlives by Lisa Guenther
Solitary: The Inside Story of Supermax Isolation and How We Can Abolish it by Terry Kupers
Way Down in the Hole: Race, Intimacy, and the Reproduction of Racial Ideologies in Solitary Confinement by Angela Hattery & Earl Smith
Fact Sheets:
Videos:
Why Solitary Confinement is Modern-Day Torture (Molly Crabapple, 2015, ~5 minutes)
Account from a Solitary Survivor (Johnny Perez, 2017, ~7 minutes)
The Helping Professions and Solitary Confinement (Mary Buser, 2017, ~8 minutes)
Out of Sight, Out of Mind - The Story of Sam Mandez (ACLU Colorado, 2014, ~22 minutes)
Testimony before Congress about Reforms to Solitary Confinement in Colorado State Prisons (Rick Raemisch, 2014, ~6 minutes)
The Nelson Mandela Rules: An Animated Introduction (Penal Reform International, 2016, ~2 minutes)
Documentaries:
Tuesday Afternoon (Pete Quandt, 2022)
Worst of the Worst (Yale Law School Visual Law Project, 2013, ~31 minutes)
Expert Witness: Health Professionals on the Frontline Against Torture (Martha Davis)
Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison
Herman’s House
Art & Projects:
Announcing UN Stakeholder Report
We are pleased to announce that through the research and writings of Professors Angela J. Hattery and Earl Smith, we are now United Nations stakeholders on the report for human rights violations in solitary confinement and policing. A special thanks to SWASC Advisory Board member Robin Benton for his contributions as well.
Introductory Video to Solitary and SWASC's Work
This 10-minute video presentation introduces the issue of solitary within the U.S. criminal justice system, the current roles of social workers and other health care professionals, and the necessity of SWASC. Succinct, engaging, and accessible, this video is intended to educate social workers, students, criminal justice advocates, and others and can be used on its own or as part of a curriculum about solitary confinement and other criminal justice issues.
At-a-Glance Toolkits
Created by Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement, these handy toolkits provide rich information. Most are 2 pages — the first page contains succinct data and the second page offers relevant resources, citations & contemplation points. Take a moment to check them out!
Toolkit #1 - Intro - What is Solitary Confinement?
Toolkit #2 - Consequences - Psychological, Physical and Societal Consequences of Solitary Confinement
Toolkit #3 - Ethics - Dual Loyalty in Solitary Confinement
Toolkit #4 - Alternatives - Alternative Policy to Solitary Confinement
Toolkit #5 - Human Rights - Do We Have a Right to Torture Prisoners and Violate their Human Rights?
Introduction to Solitary Confinement as Torture
Tucked away and out of public sight, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people are being held in solitary confinement cells in our nation’s jails, prisons and border camps, many for years on end. In this engaging three-part video series, created by Moya Atkinson, founder of Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement, this hidden practice is brought into the light of day. Atkinson offers a comprehensive overview of solitary that ranges from hearing the voices of those who’ve been impacted by it, to the moral dilemma of those who work in these units, and finally, to humane alternatives. Before any change can take place, there must be an awareness of a problem. This series of 20-minute videos is a big step in making us aware.
“Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause, it can amount to torture”
Shedding Light on Solitary Confinement Bibliography
Council on Social Work Education - May 2020
The treatment of prisoners who endure indefinite or many years of solitary segregation amounts to torture. — UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Tucked away and out of public sight, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 people are being held in solitary confinement cells in our nation’s jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers, many for years on end. In a practice described by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as coming “perilously close to penal tombs,” the psychological and physical suffering of the people inside these solitary cells is incalculable. Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement (SWASC) combats the use of solitary confinement and seeks the support of social workers in its fight against this social injustice.
In May of 2020, the Council of Social Work Education published the SWASC Bibliography “Shedding Light on Solitary Confinement” as its monthly feature in “Educator Resource.” The Bibliography is the culmination of years of hard work creating and culling detailed information on solitary confinement to educate social work students, professionals, and the public about this practice. This resource was created by SWASC members in collaboration with educators, directly impacted individuals, health professionals, activists, researchers, and others.
The Bibliography offers a comprehensive overview of solitary confinement that includes voices of those affected by it, the ethical dilemma of health and social service providers who work in criminal justice facilities, and humane alternatives. The resource database provides an extensive set of more than 300 teaching resources, from personal essays and reports to interactive discussion guides and thought-provoking documentaries, to webinars and easy-to-use PowerPoint presentations, all of which can be applied in a range of social work courses. This includes courses in criminal justice as well as practice courses in mental health, policy, community organizing and advocacy, and social justice and human rights.
Teaching and Research Resource
Teaching tools include curriculum guides, readings and multimedia sources, and syllabi. Informational materials are drawn from highly credible scholarly publications, advocacy organizations, media, and other sources. See the Overview of Resource Database and Index of Keywords and Resource Types for search terms. The materials fall under four general categories:
The carceral system and prison practices and conditions
Mental and physical health effects of solitary confinement on prison inmates
Issues for social work and healthcare professionals in correctional settings
Advocacy, legislative, and policy practice in criminal justice
The database is available online as a Google spreadsheet and as an Excel spreadsheet file.
Q&A: Educator Pedagogical Approach
What approach to teaching about solitary confinement, and incarceration more broadly, do you recommend?
The most powerful teaching approach is experiential, namely involvement in relevant activities coupled with reflection. Following are some learning opportunities for students that we recommend.