Press Releases
Release: Stop Solitary CT Launches Website Sharing Stories of Strip Searching in State Prisons, Jails
By Stop Solitary CT, January 10, 2023
NEW HAVEN, CT — Stop Solitary CT (SSCT), an organization that works to end the use of solitary confinement in jails, detention centers, and prisons across the state of Connecticut, today announced the launch of a new website, Strip Searching in Connecticut DOC. The site hosts several stories of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals and their experiences being strip searched while incarcerated in various Connecticut state prisons and jails. Many who shared their stories on the website refer to the process of strip-searching as degrading, humiliating, and or dehumanizing.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Holds Press Conference After SB 459 Passes Both Chambers of State Legislature
By Stop Solitary CT, May 3, 2022
Hartford, CT – Stop Solitary CT held a press conference and rally at the State Capitol on Monday, May 2 to celebrate the passage of the PROTECT Act (SB 459) and urge Governor Ned Lamont to sign the bill into law. SB 459 passed the Senate 29-6 last Wednesday and the House 98-45 late on Thursday night, receiving broad bipartisan support in both chambers.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Mobilizes in Hartford on the First Day of the Legislative Session
By Stop Solitary CT, February 10, 2022
On February 9, 2022, the first day of the Connecticut General Assembly's 2022 session, Stop Solitary CT held a call to action to protest state-sanctioned violence against incarcerated people and mobilize support for the passage of the PROTECT Act, which would significantly reduce solitary confinement in Connecticut and support the wellbeing of incarcerated people and correctional staff.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Holds Call to Action for 2022 Legislative Session
By Stop Solitary CT, December 13, 2021
On December 10, 2021 (International Human Rights Day), Stop Solitary CT held a call to action to mobilize support for the PROTECT Act, which would create statutory restrictions on the use of solitary confinement and establish independent oversight of the Connecticut Department of Corrections (DOC). The event featured a screening of “Up the Ridge,” a documentary about the deadly consequences of politically expedient incarceration policies, and a panel with legislators and individuals recently released from Connecticut prisons.
Release: Stop Solitary CT, Legislators Call for Veto Override on S.B. 1059
By Stop Solitary CT, July 14, 2021
On Wednesday, July 14, supporters of the PROTECT Act (S.B. 1059) rallied outside the Connecticut State Capitol to demand an override of Governor Lamont’s veto of the legislation. S.B. 1059 would restrict the use of solitary confinement, end abusive restraints practices, increase access to visitation, and implement oversight of the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC). After passing the legislature with bipartisan support, S.B. 1059 was vetoed by the governor on June 30.
Release: Stop Solitary CT's Statement on Governor Lamont’s Veto of the PROTECT Act
By Stop Solitary CT, July 1, 2021
Yesterday Governor Lamont issued his first and only veto of 2021 in order to reject legislation protecting the well-being of incarcerated people. The PROTECT Act (SB 1059) would have safeguarded both incarcerated people and correctional staff from the most harmful and traumatic conditions in Connecticut prisons. It would have ended the deeply racist practice of long-term isolation, a status where nearly 90% of individuals are people of color. The bill passed with bipartisan support in both chambers and after lengthy negotiations between the legislature and the Governor’s own Commissioner of Correction. In vetoing it, Governor Lamont defied the democratic will of the people and disregarded the humanity of the incarcerated people in his custody.
Release: NBA Star and UConn Husky Legend Caron Butler, Advocates & Legislators Call on Lamont to Sign the PROTECT Act
By Stop Solitary CT, June 7th, 2021
Hartford, CT – Former UConn Husky and NBA star Caron Butler joined Stop Solitary CT at the Connecticut State Capitol today to urge Governor Ned Lamont to sign SB 1059, the PROTECT Act. SB 1059 would end the use of isolated confinement for all incarcerated people, except in temporary emergency situations, and create a correction ombuds to provide oversight for the Connecticut Department of Correction. The bill is waiting on Governor Lamont’s signature after passing the state Senate on Friday and the House of Representatives late on Saturday night. “My time in solitary confinement was excruciating; I often find myself wondering how much longer would it have taken to break me — a few more days, another month?” said Caron Butler, who became Assistant Coach of the Miami Heat after retiring from the NBA. Butler was placed in solitary confinement as a teenager, and today he advocates for criminal justice reform as a Trustee of the Vera Institute for Justice.
Release: Stop Solitary CT, Civil Rights Leaders, and Directly Impacted Families Stand with Legislators to Demand Action on Senate Bill 1059, Urge the Legislature to Pass Laws that Protect the Lives of Black and Brown People
By Stop Solitary CT, June 2nd, 2021
Hartford, CT – Exactly one week before the close of the 2021 legislative session, Stop Solitary CT hosted a press conference and rally demanding action on Senate Bill 1059, otherwise known as the PROTECT Act. Ending solitary confinement is critical to protecting the lives of black and brown residents in Connecticut; organizers highlighted a significant victory this year — closing Northern C.I. — but cautioned that without the PROTECT Act cruel and unusual conditions could be exported to other facilities. Stop Solitary CT organizers demanded action citing the fact that last year the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture specifically condemned the Connecticut Department of Correction for “a State-sanctioned policy aimed at purposefully inflicting severe pain or suffering, physical or mental, which may well amount to torture.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Challenges SB 1059’s Fiscal Note and Releases Briefer— the bill will save up to $17 million and cost, at most, $1.9 million.
By Stop Solitary CT, May 6th, 2021
Hartford, CT – On Thursday afternoon, Stop Solitary CT released a briefer on Senate Bill 1059’s fiscal note after hosting a press conference earlier that morning highlighting one central fact — there is absolutely no trade off between ending the practice of solitary confinement and saving money. At the press conference, speakers addressed precisely why the fiscal note drastically overestimated the cost of SB 1059. The fiscal note does not account for future friendly amendments. Additionally, ending solitary confinement does not, in any way, require the DOC to hire more correctional officers. At present, the DOC has the highest staffing ratios in its 53 year history, the incarcerated population continues to decrease, and multiple prisons will close in the coming months, which will further free up staff capacity. After appropriate adjustments Stop Solitary CT estimates that SB 1059 will cost at most 1.9 million dollars per year and projects that ending solitary confinement will save the State approximately $17 million per year. Here is a copy of the briefer.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Opposes Housing Immigrant Children in Shuttered Youth Prison where Youth were Illegally Placed in Solitary.
By Stop Solitary CT, April 12th, 2021
Middletown, CT – Last week the Lamont administration informally proposed reopening the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) to house immigrant children. Joining a growing chorus of advocates across the State, Stop solitary CT firmly opposes the Governor’s proposal. CJTS was built on a foundation of corruption and was closed due, in part, to the illegal use of solitary confinement on youth, documented in grotesque and terrifying video evidence. At CJTS youth were forcibly restrained and left alone in solitary. Over the past few days, we’ve heard proponents of reopening CJTS say that the facility has classrooms, recreation centers, and even a cafeteria. Indeed, most high security prisons in Connecticut have cafeterias, recreation centers and classrooms; most high security prisons in Connecticut also subject people to prolonged isolation. Highlighting basic amenities common to most prison environments as a justification for housing immigrant children in a shuttered prison should raise alarm.
Release: The PROTECT Act Passes Out of Judiciary Committee with Overwhelming Margin, Bipartisan Support
By Stop Solitary CT, April 8th, 2021
Hartford, CT – Thursday afternoon, the PROTECT Act, otherwise known as Senate Bill 1059, passed in the Judiciary Committee with an overwhelming margin of support, in part due to legislators reaching across the aisle. In addition to demonstrating broad Democratic support for the PROTECT Act, republican support illustrated that protecting the lives of people who live and work in prison should not be politically divisive.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Hosts Speak Out at the Capitol on Good Friday and Passover emphasizing the Moral Imperative of End Solitary; Pushes Legislators to Fight for the Oppressed and Vote the PROTECT Out of Committee.
By Stop Solitary CT, April 2nd, 2021
Hartford, CT – Joined by religious leaders and community members, Stop Solitary CT hosted a Speak Out on a blustery day outside the Connecticut State Capitol. Volunteers read the testimony that incarcerated people wrote in support of the PROTECT Act (SB 1059) and religious leaders spoke to the importance of ending domestic torture. Religious leaders observed that torture, the defining experience of Good Friday, is currently going on in the Connecticut Department of Correction. “In Jesus’ day, the method of torture was crucifixion, being nailed to a cross. Today in CT prisons the method is prolonged isolated confinement, being locked in a cage,” said the Rev. Allie Perry. “Both practices are barbaric. We would never tolerate crucifixion. Why does CT still tolerate solitary confinement? It is torture and needs to be stopped.”
Release: In Advance of PROTECT Act Hearing SSCT Releases Two Reports focused on Alternatives to Isolation & Isolation in DOC; Rallies Outside Capitol with Civil Rights Organizations, Legislators, and Directly Impacted People
By Stop Solitary CT, March 18th, 2021
Hartford, CT – Standing alongside Stop Solitary CT, Representative Josh Elliot, Representative Christine Palm, the Katal Center, ACLU Smart Justice, the Connecticut Justice Alliance, and many directly impacted community members highlighted their support for the PROTECT Act, SB 1059, which is scheduled for a public hearing on Monday March 22nd. Organizers encouraged members of the public, whether directly impacted or not, to speak out about the injustice that is solitary confinement.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Launches Statewide Promotion Campaign Featuring Bill Boards, Bus Ads, and Digital Ads; Hosts Press Conference Outside New Haven Correctional Center.
By Stop Solitary CT, March 11th, 2021
New Haven, CT – In front of the entrance of New Haven Correctional Center, Stop Solitary CT hosted a press conference about a new promotion campaign designed to shed light on prolonged isolation in the State’s correctional system.Directly impacted families and formerly incarcerated people testified to the inhumanity of solitary confinement, emphasizing that the new billboards highlighted the devastating reality of isolated confinement.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Releases Report on Fiscal Impact of the PROTECT Act; Projects $14 Million is Annual Savings from Reducing Isolation
By Stop Solitary CT, February 25th, 2021
Hartford, CT — After analyzing each provision of the PROTECT Act, Stop Solitary CT’s report Protecting Lives, Saving Dollars projects that the legislation would save the State of Connecticut approximately $14 million each year. The PROTECT Act is Stop Solitary CT’s model legislation designed to protect the lives of incarcerated people. The report estimates that, from reducing isolation in DOC custody, the State would save over $17 million. It also estimates approximately $2.5 million in costs stemming from the legislation. The net fiscal impact of the legislation would be millions of dollars in savings. Read the full report here.
Release: Stop Solitary CT and Coalition Organizations Rallied Outside Capitol to Call for End of Extreme Isolation; Argued that Investment is Required to Repair the Harms Caused by Northern C.I.
By Stop Solitary CT, February 10th, 2021
Hartford, CT – On a cold and blustery Wednesday morning Stop Solitary CT Organizers joined the ACLU of Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness to call for action in the wake of Northern C.I.’s closure. While the ACLU and CCEH mainly focused on the need for reinvestment in Black and Brown communities, Stop Solitary CT organizers spoke about investing in the lives of incarcerated people. Stop Solitary CT organizers expressed that the $12.6 million in projected savings from closing Northern must be used, in part, to protect incarcerated people.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Statement on Northern Lawsuit Disability Rights Connecticut v. Department of Correction.
By Stop Solitary CT, February 4th, 2021
Stop Solitary CT welcomes the filing of DRCT v. DOC, a lawsuit challenging the Connecticut Department of Correction’s abuse of incarcerated people with mental illness at Northern Correctional Institution. The complaint confirms what we have long known: the DOC is torturing people. We applaud this important step toward exposure and accountability for the harm caused by the DOC. Extreme isolation and in-cell shackling, described in detail in the lawsuit, must end. But this lawsuit does not go far enough. DRCT v. DOC focuses on the most severe abuses: the torture inflicted on people with mental illness at the supermax Northern. We need to address the injustices facing the people represented in this lawsuit, and we need to make sure everyone in the system is protected from torture and abuse.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Hosts Virtual Press Conference to Introduce the PROTECT Act on National Freedom Day; Releases Petition with 1000 plus Signatures calling on Legislature to Pass the PROTECT Act.
By Stop Solitary CT, February 1st, 2021
Hartford, CT – Bright and early on a snowy Monday morning, legislators Gary Winfield (Senate Judiciary Chair) and Steve Stafstrom (House Judiciary Chair), Robyn Porter (Judiciary Committee), and Quentin Phipps (Co-chair Progressive Caucus) joined Stop Solitary CT to speak about their support for the PROTECT Act, long overdue legislation that would close Northern Correctional, mandate substantial correctional oversight, and end the use of prolonged isolated confinement in the Connecticut Department of Correction. At the press conference, Stop Solitary CT also released their petition; it can be viewed here.
Release: Statement on the Confirmation of Acting Commissioner of Correction Angel Quiros
By Stop Solitary CT, January 28th, 2021
Hartford, CT – As the legislature considers the confirmation of Angel Quiros to the role of Commissioner of Correction, Stop Solitary CT firmly believes that the new commissioner must unequivocally commit to supporting legislation that would end the use of solitary confinement. It is not enough to speak about the need for change. Instead, we expect that the new commissioner will commit to working with legislators to codify changes in law that will protect the lives of incarcerated people.
Release: Stop Solitary CT Discusses the PROTECT Act with Panel of Experts during Virtual Legislative Breakfast, Breakfast Attended by Dozens of Community Members and at least 10 Legislators.
By Stop Solitary CT, December 10th, 2020
Hartford, CT – During a virtual legislative breakfast on Human Rights Day, panelists described the importance of the PROTECT Act, legislation designed to abolish solitary confinement. The virtual webinar can be viewed here.
Release: Legislature Fails to Address Correctional Brutality in the Special Session, Advocates Highlight Support for the PROTECT Act.
By Stop Solitary CT, September 29, 2020
Speaking from the Capitol steps, Stop Solitary CT addressed the legislature’s failure to protect people in prison from correctional brutality. Organizers with Stop Solitary CT spoke about the importance of the PROTECT Act, a piece of model legislation that would, among other things, close Northern Correctional, mandate substantial correctional oversight, and implement new regulations that would effectively end the use of solitary confinement in Connecticut.
Release: Coalition Gathers to Demand that Legislation Address Both Police and Correctional Officers in Special Session, Argue for Open Legislative Process
By Stop Solitary CT, June 17, 2020
A coalition of legislators, community leaders, and civil rights organizations gathered outside the Capitol Building on Wednesday afternoon to demand substantive change during a special session. Stop Solitary CT called on the Governor and legislative leaders to pass a bill that redirects police and correctional funding to black and brown communities, closes Northern C.I., abolishes solitary confinement, and fully funds independent oversight of police departments and correctional facilities.
Release: Families with Incarcerated Loved Ones Rally at the Capitol; Protest Gov. Lamont’s Silence, Failure to Respond to COVID-19 in Prison.
By Stop Solitary CT, May 1st, 2020
Families with incarcerated loved ones gathered at the Connecticut State Capitol on a wet Friday afternoon, demanding that the Governor take immediate action to protect their loved ones. Standing six feet apart and wearing personal protective equipment, families and advocates took as many precautions as possible to protest safely, while recognizing that the same privileges are not possible for their loved ones
Release: Families with Incarcerated Loved Ones Hold a Vigil in Front of Northern C.I., Pray for the People that are at Risk of Death due Gov. Lamont’s COVID-19 Response in Prison.
By Stop Solitary CT, April 23rd, 2020
In the wake of yet another week of the Executive inaction, Stop Solitary CT supported incarcerated families from across the state by hosting a vigil outside of Northern C.I, Connecticut’s supermax prison that is currently housing the majority of covid-positive people in DOC custody. During the vigil, Stop Solitary CT highlighted Northern C.I.’s history of human rights abuses and describe precisely why the decision to transfer covid-positive individuals to Northern is medically unsound and incredibly inhumane.
Release: Coalition of Advocates Releases Detailed Policy Proposal; Gov. Lamont Cancels Meeting for Second Time with Advocates, Families of Incarcerated People.
By Stop Solitary CT, April 13th, 2020
Stop Solitary CT and coalition organizations condemn the Governor’s silence. In response to the Governor’s inaction, the coalition will move forward with releasing a detailed policy proposal that outlines a set of urgent demands. The proposal outlines the current crisis in Connecticut correctional facilities, documents the State’s inadequate response, and articulates a set of urgent demands that would remedy the crisis at hand.
Release: Open Letter to Governor Demanding Emergency Action to Protect Incarcerated People and Public from COVID-19
By Stop Solitary CT, March 16th, 2020
A coalition of Connecticut-based organizations has published an open letter to Governor Ned Lamont calling for urgent action to protect individuals in the state’s prisons and jails from theCoronavirus-19 pandemic. On March 16, 2020, the coalition spoke to press about the threat COVID-19 poses to incarcerated people in Connecticut and explained the emergency measures the Governor must take to limit transmission and save lives.
Release: UN Special Rapporteur Statement
By Stop Solitary CT, February 28, 2020
Stop Solitary CT welcomes the recent statement from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, who publicly condemned the Connecticut Department of Correction’s (DOC) use of isolation and restraints.
Release: Replica Solitary Cell
By Stop Solitary CT, February 25, 2020
Standing in front of Stop Solitary CT’s replica cell, legislators and advocates emphasized the urgency of passing legislation that would eliminate the use of long-term isolated confinement in the state and bring Connecticut’s criminal justice system up to par with states throughout the rest of the country. They urged legislators and constituents to visit the replica cell located in the lobby of the Capitol to experience the isolating environment inflicted on Connecticut prisoners for weeks, months, or even years at a time.