By Elijah Glidewell
Twenty-five incarcerated men at Lawrence Correctional Center in southeastern Illinois are participating in a hunger strike to protest restrictive housing conditions, as incarcerated people across the country challenge prolonged isolation, inadequate mental health care and alleged staff misconduct, according to reporting by WTTW News.
The case is among several reports featured in Solitary Watch’s weekly news roundup detailing prolonged isolation, inadequate mental health services and staff misconduct across state prisons and federal immigration detention centers.
Reporting from WTTW News indicates that the Uptown People’s Law Center has filed two related lawsuits challenging restrictive housing conditions at the southeastern Illinois prison.
One lawsuit argues that extreme isolation violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, while the second lawsuit targets inadequate mental health treatment, highlighting that incarcerated individuals in solitary confinement outnumber mental health staff by a ratio of 85-to-1.
Attorney Nicole Schult observed during a facility visit that men in restricted housing have no way to communicate with family and lack access to educational materials.
One incarcerated individual reported receiving out-of-cell time only three times over three months, violating the Illinois Department of Corrections’ internal policy, while another described being placed in a solitary cell with feces smeared on the wall. Dwayne Croom, who is currently held in restrictive housing, stated that more than 30 people would rather die than remain in their current circumstances.
In Ohio, death row prisoner Keith LaMar has spent more than 30 years in solitary confinement, according to coverage by Democracy Now.
Although Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a three-year execution reprieve because of difficulties procuring lethal injection drugs from pharmaceutical suppliers, LaMar stated the delay renewed harassment from correctional officers attempting to pressure death row prisoners toward suicide.
LaMar reported that he has avoided breakfast and lunch for three years because of deliberate chemical contamination in his food and cell.
Attorney Keegan Stephan noted that defense counsel is actively pursuing litigation during the reprieve window in an effort to secure LaMar’s exoneration.
Federal immigration authorities are also facing scrutiny regarding the force-feeding of hunger strikers held in administrative isolation.
According to The Guardian, Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel force-fed Gabar Choli, a 40-year-old Kurdish asylum seeker, inside a solitary medical cell at the Port Isabel Service Processing Center in South Texas.
Choli had maintained a hunger strike for more than two months to protest detention conditions.
Federal court records indicate guards shackled his limbs and forcibly inserted a feeding tube through his nose and throat, causing a torn nasal passage, a damaged esophagus and severe psychological distress. Court records reveal that federal authorities have secured orders to force-feed at least 18 other hunger strikers in ICE custody.
At the CoreCivic-operated Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, 26-year-old transgender Venezuelan asylum seeker Karla Saenz was placed in solitary confinement in an all-men’s unit for five days following an asymptomatic positive COVID-19 test, as reported by High Country News.
Saenz reported being denied meals, hormone therapy and medicine for a chronic condition during her six-week detention.
In Louisiana, state and federal officials continue operating Camp 57, an ICE detention facility situated inside a former solitary confinement unit known as Camp J at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, according to NOLA.com.
An ACLU report found unsafe conditions, contaminated drinking water and inadequate medical care at the site, which costs federal taxpayers $275 per detainee daily.
Civil litigation has also emerged over the use of isolation in juvenile facilities.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, a class-action lawsuit filed against San Bernardino County and more than 500 juvenile justice staff members alleges decades of sexual abuse and threats of solitary confinement against detained youth. Attorney Doug Rochen alleged county leadership covered up the abuse by falsifying documents and tampering with surveillance video.
In Louisiana, 52 lawsuits were filed under the state’s lookback window alleging sexual assault and solitary threats against youth ages 11 to 17 at the now-closed Jetson Center for Youth, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
In Wisconsin, a report by Falcon Correctional and Community Services highlighted by the Wisconsin Examiner found that suicide-resistant isolation cells fail to prevent self-harm, even though 50% of the state’s adult prison population has a diagnosed mental health condition.
In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger established a Community Partnership Council on Corrections to review prison safety and solitary confinement following self-immolation protests at Red Onion State Prison, according to the Virginia Mercury.
To help alleviate isolation for detained individuals, Solitary Watch announced a $25,000 matching grant for its Lifelines to Solitary pen pal initiative, which coordinates direct correspondence for more than 500 pairs nationwide.
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