From Solitary to Sunshine – a Ray of Hope in a Rocky Mountain Prison
In early December of 2018, a group of SWASC and CAIC members from New York —Mary Buser, Victor Pate, Moya Atkinson and Ali Winters —...
Is The Prison System Abusing Solitary Confinement?
In the ongoing push to get the HALT Bill (Humane Alternatives to Long Term Solitary Confinement) passed in New York State, I recently...
The “baddest of the bad! The worst of the worst!” -- Is solitary confinement the answer?”
No! In the first place, although we’re always told that isolation cells inside correctional facilities are for the most violent people,...
A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way
Many of us read the story this past week about the six prisoners on a Georgia work detail who came to the aid of the stricken guard who...
A Day in the Life of a Mental Health Team in a Solitary Confinement Unit
This excerpt from “Lockdown on Rikers,” recalls an incident that occurred during my first week as an Assistant Mental Health Chief in the...
“If I’m good, will they let me go home?” Managing the Mentally Ill through the Justice System – the
I first met “Kelly Thomas” while I was an intern in the Mental Health Department on Rikers Island. With the IQ of a small child, and a...
Is Closing Rikers Island Really the Answer?
When I worked in the Rikers Island Mental Health Department in the late 90’s, I was frequently called to the “Receiving Room” to assess...
