Sleep Deprivation for Almost Three Months! Help STOP It

Last month, California prisoners locked in isolation achieved a groundbreaking legal victory in their ongoing struggle against the use of solitary confinement. 

This is a huge victory and there is still work to do.

The win effectively ended indefinite long-term solitary confinement, and greatly limited the prison administration’s ability to use the practice, widely seen as a form of torture.

Now, there is a dangerous practice in California prisons of guards doing so-called “security/welfare” checks every 30 minutes, 48 times a day. These checks are only being done in the isolation units, causing ongoing sleep deprivation for those prisoners.

We call for you to continue to stand with us and support the prisoners inside of solitary. 

These checks are causing serious psychological and physical harm. Sleep deprivation and relentless exposure to loud noise are known methods of torture that can quickly cause mental and physical impairment.

We need to make the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees and Governor Brown stop this now!

Thank you for everything you do and we know you will continue to stand with us.

In solidarity,

Dolores Canales

Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition
A member of Californians United for a Responsible Budget

P.S. We also found out that the ‘search’ criteria for ‘positive’ scans (dog or ION) have been modified to ‘clothed’ body searches, a right to refuse which if space is available, and visitor consents to a clothed body search, a non-contact visit will be arranged.