Solitary Watch is a web-based project made to bring the widespread use of solitary confinement into the eyes of the public. Its mission is to provide the public—as well as practicing attorneys, legal scholars, law enforcement, people in prison and their families and others with a centralized source of unfolding news, original reporting, firsthand accounts, and background research on
solitary confinement in the United States
In the United States penal system, upwards of 20 percent of state and federal prison inmates and 18 percent of local jail inmates are kept in solitary confinement or another form of restrictive housing at some point during their imprisonment. Sol ...
.
History
In December 2009, Solitary Watch launched its website. Overseen by journalist
James Ridgeway
James Fowler Ridgeway (November 1, 1936February 13, 2021) was an American investigative journalist. In a career spanning six decades, he covered many topics including automobile industry safety, American universities, far-right movements includi ...
and writer/editor
Jean Casella
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Je ...
, the website's features include original reporting, an archive of resources and information and the "Voices from Solitary" Project which collects firsthand stories from people who have served time in solitary confinement. Within its first nine months, the website attracted over 100,000 visitors.
David Bruck
David Isaac Bruck (born 1949) is a Canadian-American criminal defense attorney, clinical professor of law at Washington and Lee University School of Law, and director of the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse. Bruck was raised in Montreal, Queb ...
is involved with the project.
Voices from Solitary
As of 2015, Solitary Watch has collected over 100 memoirs, essays, stories, poems and blogs written by current and former prisoners held in solitary confinement.
James Ridgeway
James Fowler Ridgeway (November 1, 1936February 13, 2021) was an American investigative journalist. In a career spanning six decades, he covered many topics including automobile industry safety, American universities, far-right movements includi ...
and
Sarah Shourd Sarah Shourd is an American journalist, author and playwright. She is known for being an advocate against the overuse of solitary confinement in prisons. In 2009-10 she was held as a political hostage in Iran's Evin Prison for 410 days under accus ...
. It was published by
The New Press
The New Press is an independent non-profit public-interest book publisher established in 1992 by André SchiffrinSolitary Watch