NEW YORK – In response to the introduction of a historic bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to end solitary confinement, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors in the US and Canada, expressed its support for ending the practice:
In a statement, Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“We applaud the introduction of a historic bill to ban the cruel practice of solitary confinement in federal prisons and incentivize states and localities to end the practice as well.”
“‘It is not good for the human being to be alone,’ God declares in the Torah (Genesis 2:18). Solitary confinement, which often consists of locking a person in a small room for 23 hours a day with no significant social interaction, violates the basic dignity owed to every creation in the divine image. The rabbis of the Talmud even understand that solitary confinement effectively constitutes a death sentence.
“United Nation bodies have declared that solitary confinement can meet the international definition of torture: ‘Solitary confinement, when used for the purpose of punishment, cannot be justified for any reason, precisely because it imposes severe mental pain and suffering beyond any reasonable retribution for criminal behaviour and thus constitutes an act defined in article 1 or article 16 of the Convention against Torture.’ Research has shown that solitary confinement is disproportionately used against people of color and people with mental illnesses, and that it causes and exacerbates mental and physical illnesses, without keeping either incarcerated people or prison staff safer.
“For years, T’ruah has been the leading organization in the Jewish community advocating for an end to solitary confinement. This has included organizing rabbis, cantors, and community members to support successful campaigns to restrict the practice in California, New York, and New Jersey. Many of our members have visited with prisoners and served as prison chaplains. We have seen the cruelty of solitary confinement, and are committed to ending this practice. We will continue to stand with legislators and community organizations working to end this inhumane practice across the United States.”
About T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.
