Solitary Confinement in New York State Prisons: A Virtual Panel Discussion
January 24, 2021
3:00 PM – 4:15 PM ET/2 - 3:15 PM CT/12 - 1:15 PM PT
Register via Eventbrite
Join CTA - Metro New York to learn about the use and abuse of solitary confinement in New York State prisons, the harm it causes, and what you can do to help.
About this Event
The use of solitary confinement longer than 15 days has been designated as torture by a number of international organizations, including the UN Convention Against Torture. Nevertheless, this practice remains a prevalent form of discipline in New York State prisons.
As people of conscience motivated by our faith, we are called to work for justice for all people, including demanding an end to practices that torture and further harm incarcerated people.
We are called to speak out against injustice.
We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We are called to action.
This panel aims to educate the public about the harm being caused today by the use and abuse of solitary confinement in New York State prisons and provide attendees with concrete next steps for how to advocate for the end of these practices.
Participants
This event is sponsored by Call to Action - Metro NY, and will be hosted by Roe Sauerzopf, vice president of CTAMNY's Board of Directors and chair of its Anti-Racism and Justice Committee.
The panel will be moderated by Stanley Richards, Executive Vice President at The Fortune Society. Panelists include two leaders in the fight to reform solitary confinement practices — Victor Pate (NY CAIC Campaign Organizer) and Jerome Wright (Western NY CAIC Organizer) — and Dr. Stuart Grassian, a medical expert on the effects of solitary confinement.
Stanley Richards (Moderator)
Executive Vice President, The Fortune Society
Stanley Richards is the Executive Vice President of The Fortune Society, a service and advocacy non-profit organization in New York City, founded by David Rothenberg in 1967. The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration. Stanley is a formerly incarcerated man of color with decades of experience in the criminal justice field. In 2014, Stanley was recognized by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for his commitment to helping individuals impacted by the justice system. He also became the first formerly incarcerated person to be appointed to the NYC Board of Correction. As Vice Chair of the Board of Correction, in June 2020, Stanley was appointed to lead the Working Group to End Punitive Segregation. His other appointments include the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, which released a blueprint for the future of criminal justice in NYC; the Working Group on Design, a subcommittee of the Implementation Task Force, to ensure effective implementation of the “Smaller, Safer, Fairer: A Roadmap to Closing Rikers Island” initiative; and other taskforces on criminal justice issues.
Victor Pate (Panelist)
NY CAIC Campaign Organizer
Victor is formerly Incarcerated and has been engaged in numerous Criminal Justice Reform Campaigns as a volunteer since being released such as Drop The Rock, Raise The Age, Domestic Violence, Parole, Release Aging People In Prison as well as being an active member and volunteer with The New York State Prisoner Justice Network, Challenging Incarceration, and The National Action Network NYC Chapter where he is a founding member of The Second Chance Committee. His organizing/volunteer experience allows him to utilize these skills as a paid organizer with The Campaign For Alternatives To Isolated Confinement which has been successful in getting the HALT Bill (3080-B S.4784-A) passed in the Assembly this past 2018 legislative session.
Jerome Wright (Panelist)
Western NY CAIC Organizer
Jerome is a returning citizen who spent 30 years in prison. Since his release, he worked at: Back to Basics Outreach Ministries with their Youth Intervention Program where he eventually became Program Director; the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) as Site Supervisor and Life Enrichment Class facilitator, training, teaching and supervising people on parole and probation on work assignments; providing mentoring, tutoring and behavior modification training to at risk youth in Buffalo and Rochester. At his church, Elim Christian Fellowship, where he was ordained as a Deacon in 2012, he continues to do community outreach/advocacy, and serves as a facilitator/trainer in the Restorative Justice initiative.
Dr. Stuart Grassian
Medical Expert
Dr. Stuart Grassian of Massachusetts is a Board-certified psychiatrist who was on the teaching staff of the Harvard Medical School for almost thirty years. He has had extensive experience in evaluating the psychiatric effects of stringent conditions of confinement, and has served as an expert in both individual and class-action lawsuits addressing this issue. Dr. Grassian described a particular psychiatric syndrome resulting from the deprivation of social, perceptual, and occupational stimulation in solitary confinement. His observations and conclusions have been cited in a number of federal court decisions, including Justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his publications, Dr. Grassian described the extensive body of literature, including clinical and experimental literature, regarding the effects of decreased environmental and social stimulation in a variety of situations, and specifically, observations concerning the effects of segregated prison confinement.
