END SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN THE D.C. JAIL

On any given day, people held in the D.C. Jail can find themselves locked in a small cell, isolated and without natural light for 22 to 24 hours a day. After solitary confinement, people’s mental health can deteriorate, and the trauma of isolation can contribute to increased violence in the jail and people re-offending when released.

Take action to end solitary confinement now by adding your name to our petition.

No one wins when people experience horrific conditions at the D.C. Jail. In addition to the psychological trauma it inflicts, solitary confinement wastes taxpayer dollars and puts public safety efforts at risk. Despite these drawbacks, D.C.’s Department of Corrections has used solitary confinement three times more than the national average.

There is another way. Most people who are locked up in prisons and jails will come home after they serve their time – and they are our family members, neighbors, and friends. We need to ensure that they are not made worse off while incarcerated. It is time for District leaders to abandon cruel and ineffective practices and build a more humane and effective criminal justice system that can keep everyone safe.

That’s why we are urging the D.C. Council and D.C. Department of Corrections to end the use of harmful solitary confinement in the D.C. Jail. Please join us in this fight by adding your name to our petition now.