tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232458582024-02-27T23:16:04.658-07:00StopMax Arizona CampaignControl Unit: a cell devoted to keeping prisoners in long-term isolation 23+ hours per day, with no meaningful human contact, forced idleness, sensory deprivation, and frequent harassment; conditions which the UN has determined to be torture and an abuse of human rights. In the United States there are at least 25,000 people in long-term solitary confinement. In Arizona, there are more than 1,600.mlowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01405358842609393746noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23245858.post-52903998460920867132008-03-17T10:03:00.000-07:002008-03-17T10:04:33.897-07:00Cruel and Unusual Punishment<iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/23661740#23661740" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>mlowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01405358842609393746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23245858.post-33906149762783843102007-10-15T10:39:00.000-07:002007-10-15T10:55:42.939-07:0060 Minutes - "Supermax: A Clean Version of Hell"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAOEXQI2ypZzlGARzpyJ6Lv7IraibLEGFAj8XTe0rm9bJqMekb6dt-SisKw4q0hV5tV2ctoASIGlQyyG8RXjmO2xZWe2pPgBXFxVdoVAEC3Ahwkfs2EtgUEua5QZFfZb-u-Lr3w/s1600-h/florence200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAOEXQI2ypZzlGARzpyJ6Lv7IraibLEGFAj8XTe0rm9bJqMekb6dt-SisKw4q0hV5tV2ctoASIGlQyyG8RXjmO2xZWe2pPgBXFxVdoVAEC3Ahwkfs2EtgUEua5QZFfZb-u-Lr3w/s320/florence200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121622691417661442" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >Last night, Sunday, October 14, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >60 Minutes</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" > ran a piece on the ADX Federal Prison in Florence, Colorado. This is the supermax to beat all supermaxes. It has been called the "most secure prison facility in the country" and it holds some of the more famous prisoners our country has, though I won't bother with the list here. There are a myriad of problems with it, not the least of which being that people don't want to work there as it is a quarter understaffed, which of course leads one to wonder about the claim of "most secure". </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >The following </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" >60 Minutes</span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" > piece, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/11/60minutes/main3357727.shtml">"Supermax: A Clean Version of Hell"</a></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;" > leaves very little to the imagination about the terrible mental and psychological effects that such isolation has on a person. The question it does not begin to address, is why is it justifiable to cause such mental harm to a person when long-term solitary confinement is NOT the only way to remove even the "worst of the worst" from communities where they may do harm. Please have a look at the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/11/60minutes/main3357727.shtml">13 minute story.</a> (You may need to launch it in Microsoft Internet Explorer to watch the video.) Also, on the right column there are numerous other "Resources" that are very interesting and current on the topic of solitary confinement in prisons.</span>mlowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01405358842609393746noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23245858.post-51787804881303773442007-08-29T12:24:00.000-07:002007-08-29T12:57:13.102-07:00Ground-breaking report released!<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) of Arizona has recently published a first-of-its-kind report, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.afsc.org/az/documents/buried-alive.pdf">"Buried Alive: Solitary Confinement in Arizona's Prisons and Jails"</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> detailing the use and conditions of solitary confinement in various correctional facilities in Arizona. This report is the result of over a year of research and much of the content is due to the trust and involvement of many Arizona prisoners currently being held in conditions of solitary confinement.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As a kick-off event for this report and the beginning of the StopMax Arizona Campaign, the AFSC held a Networking Forum in May 2007. Nearly 75 people were in attendance for the Forum to hear keynote speaker, Dr. Terry Kupers speak about the devastating effects of solitary confinement on one's mental health. Dr. Kupers had this to say about "Buried Alive",</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><blockquote>…The report is stunning! You get into great detail, you are balanced yet passionate, and your remedies are reasonable and timely.</blockquote></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span>mlowenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01405358842609393746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23245858.post-1148496212749361052006-05-24T11:26:00.000-07:002007-08-29T12:46:47.538-07:00SPEAK OUT Against Prison Torture!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5747/2376/1600/Todd%20Tarselli%20incarcration%20within.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 214px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5747/2376/320/Todd%20Tarselli%20incarcration%20within.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><span style="">Control units.<span style=""> </span>Supermax prison.<span style=""> </span>SMU.<span style=""> </span>Protective segregation.<span style=""> </span>Permanent lockdown.<span style=""> </span>Administrative segregation.<o:p></o:p> Long term solitary confinement. = TORTURE.</span></b></span><span style=""><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">The United Nations and most of the rest of the world call <i style="">long term solitary confinement </i><b style="">TORTURE</b>.<span style=""> </span>So do the people who are held prisoner in these horrible conditions.<span style=""> </span><b style=""><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><b style="">We couldn’t agree more</b>.<span style=""> </span>We are going to do something about it, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">We at the American Friends Service Committee are collecting TESTIMONIES and DOCUMENTATION from people who are currently held in long term solitary confinement, from their <i style="">family members</i>, and from <i style="">ex-prisoners</i> who spent time in solitary confinement.<o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><span style="">We need your help.</span></b></span><span style=""><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;">We need to hear the voices of people who know first hand the effects and conditions of long term solitary confinement – so that we can shut them down!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style=""><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:174pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\mlowen\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg" title="Stopmax Brochure Image 1"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style=""><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style="'width:174pt;"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\mlowen\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg" title="Stopmax Brochure Image 1"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23245858.post-1141256211673676422006-03-01T16:07:00.000-07:002006-03-01T16:36:51.686-07:00Calling all Ex-Prisoners of SuperMax Prisons and Control UnitsIf you were ever a prisoner in Arizona and were kept in a SuperMax Prison or in a control unit cell - we want YOU! <br /><br />The American Friends Service Committee-Arizona Area Program is researching the torturous conditions of control units in Arizona. We believe that this form of imprisonment must be eradicated and ended once and for all, and we need your help. We are looking for testimony of prisoners and ex-prisoners who can expose the harsh realities of life in control units.<br /><br />Post comments on this blog, or email Matthew Lowen @ mlowen@afsc.org. There is no need to reveal your identity if you do not feel comfortable, and we commit to respecting everyone's privacy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2