by MOSES Publications | Mar 1, 2025 | Advocacy, Prisons, WISDOM, Yearbook
Wisconsin Hears About Solitary Confinement
On April 23, 2024, in the state Capitol building, a panel of 10 spoke to a packed hearing room about the practice of solitary confinement in Wisconsin’s prisons and jails. The 70-plus listeners included five legislators and about twice that many aides; the panel included seven who had spent time in solitary, two ministers, and a woman who had recently lost her dad to suicide in solitary.
The first speaker was MOSES’s own Talib Akbar, who designed, and with the help of Edgewood College students built, a solitary confinement cell replica that is (as of December) on display at The Crossing on the UW campus. Akbar said that solitary changes people, alters them in some way. He began his volunteer effort to apprise the public about the realities of solitary in 2014 and has taken the cell, which people can actually sit in and experience, to various places in Madison, to different cities in Wisconsin, and to a few other states. He has also written a play, “Like an Animal in a Cage,” which has been performed by people who have spent time in solitary. He noted that the Wisconsin DOC has reduced maximum time in solitary from 360 days/year to 90, but said the practice needed to be ended entirely.
“Incarceration is one of the social deterrents to public health,” said Melissa Ludin from the ACLU. “A person who’s gone to prison is 12 times more likely to die than one who hasn’t been to prison. Incarceration causes PTSD, and solitary makes it even worse. Solitary is a jail within a prison.”
Ludin spent 100 days in solitary during an imprisonment in her youth; she was taken out only twice, for medical appointments. She still feels the long-term effects of that experience, though she’s been out since 2007.
Prince Rashad grew up in the early ‘80s and ended up in Green Bay Correctional Institution at age 18. In solitary, he became suicidal; “the experience made me more dangerous,” he said. He was sent to solitary six times; each time it was devastating.
“It brings no resolution or rehabilitation,” he said. “We need to align our criminal justice system with international human rights standards. Solitary confinement exacerbates existing psychological conditions — or starts new ones.”
Randy Forsterling said he was in Supermax for seven years and spent 360 days in solitary, so much time that it got to be routine, he said. He had friends who were “in the hole” for 20 to 30 years. When his mom died, he couldn’t even cry, he felt so stripped of his humanity. “People in solitary aren’t even seen as human beings,” he said.
Politics is the root cause of the prison system’s problems, Forsterling said. For example, the 1994 crime bill almost tripled Wisconsin’s prison population. He said that “we the people” need to get decent people elected and restore rehabilitative programs, which have slowly been disappearing, back into the system. The DOC doesn’t let people participate in the programs they must complete until near the end of their sentence, he said, which means they can’t complete them soon enough to be considered for release anywhere close to on time.
Megan Kolb tearfully related her father’s last days before he hanged himself after nine days in solitary confinement. He spent those days begging for his psychiatric meds, which he had not gotten in 71 days. He was given no paper, no pen, no books. “We need rehabilitation, not torture,” she declared.
“Bobby” was paroled three years ago by John Tate II (the crowd applauded this name), 27 years into a 60-year sentence. He spent over seven years in solitary. He went in with PTSD due to the loss of his parents, and while in prison received notice via phone that his brother had died. He got no support beyond the empathetic silence of fellow prisoners when his phone call was announced. “Solitary is torture,” he said. “I survived by will alone.” Bobby is now a state-certified peer-support specialist.
Jessica Jacobs is now the director of FREE, which advocates for incarcerated and previously incarcerated women. Two of FREE’s current campaigns are 1) to get doulas in prisons to assist pregnant women and 2) to end the shackling of pregnant women.
Jessica described additional dehumanizing aspects of prison that she experienced: being known only by a number, or maybe one’s last name; being physically abused and completely at the mercy of the guards; being put in solitary for no reason, perhaps even during the booking process. She said the reasons people are imprisoned — PTSD, trauma, sexual assault, substance abuse — are all signals of poverty, and that’s what we need to deal with. We need to expand programming within and outside the prisons, and to offer trauma therapy, not solitary confinement!
Ron Stief talked about the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), which started 20 years ago out of concern about U.S.-run prisons in Iraq and of Iraqis, e.g. Guantanamo. Five years in, the campaign began to also address the torture in stateside prisons. There have been some successes, e.g. in Maine, where the head of the Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) rewrote its policies. Rick Raemisch, who moved from heading the Wisconsin DOC to directing its parallel in Colorado, spent a few hours in a solitary-cell replica and ended up eliminating solitary confinement in Colorado prisons.
NRCAT has legislative campaigns in 23 states. Michigan has made some progress. Illinois has passed the Nelson Mandela Act: no more than 10 days in solitary, and no more than 20 hours/day. California has passed the Mandela Act, but the governor has threatened to veto it. That happened in New York, too, so the legislature assembled a veto-proof majority. From written legislation to passage took eight years! In New Jersey, there was a confluence of state legislators, faith communities, and activists. Legislators sat in a solitary cell replica, wrote a bill, and had it signed into law in 2022.
There are lots of people in solitary in city jails, too, Stief said, adding that 60-90% of those in solitary would do fine in the general prison/jail population. We have a fear-based system, he said.
The role of the faith community? Working to end torture is a moral absolute, he said. The fight will be long, but it’s worth it. We need the voices of all of us working together.
Legislators respond
“I never thought I’d be legislating [the right of] ‘seeing the sky,’” Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) said. “The standard is so incredibly low in Wisconsin.”
What gives him hope, said Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee), is that advocacy is breaking through, and other states are passing legislation. “When I see advocacy by people who’ve been transitioning back [from prison], with so much pain and such lack of resources, in a world that tells them they’re worth nothing – it gives me the will to sit in this space, which can be one of the most toxic in the state. I know that it can happen here [too], in a state that has a perverse relationship with incarceration.”
“A lot of folks just don’t know,” he added. “They buy into building more prisons, giving more money to the police … The real solution is safety nets … ‘Know that we have your backs,’” he added, addressing those who are system-impacted.
Rev. Willy Brisco of MICAH gave the closing blessing, starting with a little story about God looking down on our institutions of slavery, prisons, and war and saying, “’That’s not what I meant!’”
“Tell someone what you heard today, and don’t be silent again,” Rev. Brisco admonished everyone. The crowd responded with a firm “Amen!”
WISDOM members delivered informational packets to all legislators’ offices after the event.
What is the “23” Campaign?
Since May 23, 2024, MOSES members have been gathering on the Capitol’s State Street steps once a month at noon on the 23rd to draw attention to the fact that hundreds of people are being subjected to solitary confinement in Wisconsin’s prisons and jails, and to demand that the state put an end to this practice. The 23rd was chosen to draw attention to the fact that people in solitary spend 23+ hours/day alone in their tiny cells. They may spend the other hour someplace else, but still alone.
The United Nations has declared that solitary confinement for more than 15 days is torture. By that measure, we are torturing hundreds of people in Wisconsin’s prisons and jails. Said WISDOM’s David Liners: “Wisconsin needs to join the states that have adopted the ‘Mandela rule’ that limits the practice to 15 days, and that for only in extraordinary circumstances.”
by MOSES Publications | Apr 30, 2024 | Advocacy, Information, Newsletter, Prisons
Wisconsin Hears that Solitary Confinement Is Torture
By Pam Gates
The North Hearing Room in the state Capitol was packed on April 23 to hear a powerful series of speakers on the inhumane practice of solitary confinement in Wisconsin prisons and jails. Among the 70-plus listeners were five legislators and about twice that many aides; on the panel were six people who had spent time in solitary, four clergy, and a woman who had recently lost her father to suicide in solitary.
Following an invocation by WISDOM President Marian Boyle-Rohloff, the first expert speaker was MOSES’s own Talib Akbar. Talib, who built a traveling solitary confinement cell that is currently on display on the UW campus, said that solitary changes a person, alters them in some way. He began his volunteer effort to wake people up about the realities of solitary in 2014, adding, “I’ll do this till the day I die.” Talib has taken the cell around Wisconsin and to other states; he has also written a play, “Like an Animal in a Cage,” performed by people who have spent time in solitary. Although the Wisconsin DOC has reduced maximum stints in solitary from 360 to 90 days, Talib said the practice needs to be ended entirely.
A Racine pastor explained that this issue matters to faith communities because solitary confinement is torture – the opposite of the peace, kindness, and human flourishing that all faiths aspire to.
“Incarceration is one of the social deterrents to public health,” said Melissa Ludin, who after imprisonment in her youth is now with the ACLU. She noted that a person who’s gone to prison is far more likely to die prematurely than one who hasn’t. “Incarceration causes PTSD, and solitary makes it even worse,” she said. Melissa herself spent 100 days in solitary during her imprisonment and still feels the long-term effects of that experience, although she’s been home since 2007.
Prince Rashad grew up in the early ‘80s and was sent to Green Bay Correctional at age 18. In solitary, he became suicidal. “The experience made me more dangerous,” he said. He was sent to solitary six times; each time it was devastating. “It brings no rehabilitation,” he said. “We need to align our criminal justice system with international human rights standards. Solitary confinement exacerbates existing psychological conditions and starts new ones.”
Randy Forsterling spent seven years in Supermax, 360 days of it in solitary. He had friends who spent 20 to 30 years “in the hole”; solitary confinement became almost routine. But, he said, the experience left him feeling stripped of his humanity. When his mom died, he couldn’t even cry. “People in solitary aren’t seen as human beings,” he said.
Politics is the root cause of problems with the prison system, he explained. The 1994 crime bill almost tripled Wisconsin’s prison population and is still causing damage, because it abolished most rehabilitation programs. No matter what the DOC’s Vision Statement says, it still doesn’t let people participate in the programs they need when they need them.
Megan Kolb tearfully related her father’s last days before he hanged himself in solitary confinement. He spent his final days begging for his prescribed psychiatric meds, which he had not received in over two months. He was given no paper, no pen, no books, and no compassion by the staff.
“Bobby”, now a member of EXPO and a certified peer-support specialist, said he was paroled three years ago by John Tate II (the crowd applauded this name), after 27 years of a 60-year sentence, over seven of which he spent in solitary. He went in with PTSD due to the loss of his parents, and while in solitary received notice via phone that his brother had died. He got no support beyond the silence of fellow prisoners when his phone call was announced. “Solitary is torture,” he said. “I survived by will alone.”
Jessica Jacobs works with FREE, advocating for incarcerated women. She described additional dehumanizing aspects of prison that she experienced: being known only by a number; being physically abused, completely at the mercy of the guards; and being put in solitary for no reason, even during the booking process. She said the main reasons people are imprisoned — PTSD, trauma, sexual assault, substance abuse — are all symptoms of poverty, and that’s what we need to address. We need to expand programming inside and outside the prison, and to offer trauma therapy, NOT solitary confinement!
What’s happening in other states? The Rev. Ron Stief, representing NRCAT, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, explained that NRCAT started 20 years ago, initially out of concern about what was happening in U.S.-run prisons during the Iraq war. Fifteen years ago, the campaign began to address the torture we do here. There have been successful campaigns in several states, starting with Maine, where the head of the Maine DOC rewrote policies for the juvenile system and expanded from there. In Colorado, DOC director Rick Raemisch eliminated solitary confinement after spending time in a solitary cell.
NRCAT currently has legislative campaigns underway in 23 states. Michigan has made progress. The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights is pushing a 10-day maximum on solitary in Illinois. California has passed a Mandela law, limiting solitary to 15 days at most, but the governor has threatened to veto it. That happened in New York too, but the legislature assembled a super-majority and forced Gov. Cuomo to sign the bill.
In Connecticut, Stief’s own state, legislators sat in a solitary cell replica, wrote a bill, and finally got it signed into law in 2022. In most states, it has taken six to eight years after the legislation was written to get it passed into law.
Stief said campaigns to limit the use of solitary by cities are ongoing too, and so is a campaign regarding the federal system. NRCAT has many resources available, including films, model legislation, and materials to combat the common fears and myths that have been used to justify this form of discipline. Working to end torture is a moral absolute, he said. The fight will be long, but it’s worth it. We need the voices of all of us working together.
Legislators respond. Reps. Darrin Madison and Ryan Clancy, two strong advocates for improving conditions of confinement in Wisconsin prisons, included a bill limiting the use of solitary in the package of legislation they introduced a few months ago. Rep. Clancy observed, “I never thought I’d be legislating ‘seeing the sky.’ The standard is so incredibly low in Wisconsin.”
Rep. Madison said the growing strength of this movement gives him hope. “When I see advocacy by people who’ve been transitioning back, with so much pain and such lack of resources, in a world that tells them they’re worth nothing – it gives me the will to sit in this space, which can be one of the most toxic in the state. I know that it can happen here, in a state that has a perverse relationship with incarceration.” He added, “A lot of folks just don’t know. They buy into building more prisons, giving more money to the police. . . They don’t know that improving conditions of confinement will improve public safety.”
The Rev. Willy Brisco of MICAH gave the closing blessing, prefaced by the observation that when God looked down on our institutions of slavery, prisons, and war, God said, “That’s not what I meant!” Then Rev. Brisco offered a prayer and sent us out with an imperative: “Tell someone what you heard today, and don’t be silent again.” The crowd responded with a firm “Amen!”
WISDOM arranged for informational packets to be delivered to all legislators’ offices after the event.
by mosesmadison | Oct 1, 2014 | Events
Join WISDOM’S 11×15 Campaign on
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
12:00 Noon
The State Street Capitol Steps
Madison, Wisconsin
The international community considers any more than 15 days in Solitary Confinement to be torture. Wisconsin regularly keeps people isolated for months, and even years. WISDOM and other supporters of the 11×15 Campaign for Safer, Healthier Communities will call on Wisconsin to join other states that are finding safe, humane, effective alternatives to solitary confinement, by presenting:
- Testimonials from people who have endured solitary confinement
- Statements from faith and community leaders calling for REFORM NOW
- A LIFE-SIZE REPLICA OF A SOLITARY CONFINEMENT CELL
Show your support for ending state-sponsored torture in Wisconsin.
For more information, contact David Liners, WISDOM Exec.Dir, at 414-736-2099
