National Religious Campaign Against Torture
In March, 2006, the Maine Council of Churches became an Endorsing Member of the National Reliigous Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). A year later, MCC became a Participating Member of NRCAT. In 2010, MCC Executive Director Jill Saxby joined the Board of Directors of NRCAT.
For more information, actions you can take and resources you can use, go to:
Since 2006, MCC has joined interfaith partners from across the country, through NRCAT to:
1. Educate people of faith in Maine regarding the religious and ethical issues raised by U.S.-sponsored torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners through public programs/forums, promoting the use of NRCAT-produced videos, study guides and other materials in Maine congregations and actions for public witness.
2. Advocate for an end to U.S.-sponsored torture, for the closing of the prison at Guatanamo, Cuba, for the release of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report on U.S. treatment of prisoners in the global "war on terror," for the establishment of an independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate and establish a record on U.S. practices and treatment of prisoners since Sept. 11, 2001.
3. Joined NRCAT in adding "advocating for an end to torture by other nations" to its mission; endorsed the Statement caling for the ratification of the Optional Protocol Against Torture
4. When NRCAT added advocating for the abolition of prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. prisons to its mission in 2010, MCC joined other prison reform advocates in Maine to work toward an end to the use of solitary confinement in Maine prisons as a form of punishment and for more humane treatment of prisoners, especially those suffering from mental illness.
Why is torture still an issue?
- because President Obama's Executive Orders, though a large step in the right direction, could be undone at any time by his, or any future, administration.
- because telling the truth about what happened is the first step toward ensuring that it never happens again.
- because the prophetic religious voice must be heard on behalf of the dignity of all human beings, saying "torture is a moral issue."
Join MCC -- Sign the NRCAT Call for an End to Prolonged Solitary Confinement Now
Go to http://www.nrcat.org to sign the statement.
End Prolonged Solitary Confinement Now
Recognizing that prolonged solitary confinement can cause serious harm to prisoners, it has long been considered a form of torture. As a person of faith, I oppose the use of prolonged solitary confinement.
Experts estimate that at least 36,000 people in the U.S. criminal justice system are currently being held in solitary confinement. The vast majority of these inmates are detained in state prison facilities. Prisoners held in solitary confinement are often detained in a cell by themselves for 23 hours a day. Some prisoners are kept in these conditions for months, years, or even decades. Medical experts have stated that prisoners held in isolation for extended periods experience symptoms akin to delirium, and the impact on mentally ill prisoners is especially damaging. Alarmingly, these prisoners are sometimes released from solitary confinement units directly to their communities when they complete their prison sentence.
We need to invest in humane alternatives that address the mental health needs of prisoners in a way that effectively contributes both to their rehabilitation and to their successful transition back into society. Because holding prisoners in solitary confinement units is significantly more expensive than keeping them in the general prison population, instituting humane alternatives makes sense, both financially and morally.
We must end the use of prolonged solitary confinement in all 50 states and the federal prison system. It is costly, inhumane and ineffective; it harms prisoners and our communities. I call upon state legislators and departments of corrections to begin now to take steps to end prolonged solitary confinement.
