Thursday, May 8, 2014

A3 Newsletter: Solitary Reflections Lead to Congressional Action (May 8, 2014)

RELATED:  Huffington Post  II  Amy Goodman's Truthdig column  II  Robert King in French News:  I Tele, RFI, and France TV (at 23:45)

(PHOTO: US Congressman Cedric Richmond)

The Solitary Study and Reform Act of 2014

Today we are thrilled to announce that U.S. Congressman Cedric Richmond has introduced a simple but visionary piece of legislation that seeks to first study and then actively reform both the federal and state use of solitary confinement to ensure it is used effectively, infrequently, transparently, and Constitutionally.

The bill would establish a two-year bipartisan Commission tasked with exhaustively studying existing solitary confinement uses and impacts in the US, exploring best practices with experts, and then recommending a new national standard to be adopted by the US Attorney General no longer than 2 years after the Commission's findings are presented.