Amnesty International

In a recent book, ‘Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement’, Albert Woodfox described his experience of being incarcerated in solitary confinement in Louisiana, America. Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Mr. Woodfox was confined in a 6-foot by 9-foot cell in the infamous Angola Prison for 23 hours a day for four decades. Keeping his sanity intact during that time in the face of a brutal and corrupt prison regime required all his commitment and strength. He became an activist in prison fighting for his and other prisoners’ human rights. Eventually being released in 2017 after decades fighting his unjust sentence, he continues to uses his time to campaign against the torture and inhumanity that is the solitary confinement system in the United States. As Mr. Woodfox notes in his book, there are still 80,000 men, women and children in solitary confinement in the US, even as research has shown that it causes adverse psychological and physical effects on prisoners. Amnesty continues to campaign against solitary confinement particularly as the US federal government continues to expand its use. With international agreement about the harm caused by solitary confinement, it is time for this cruel practice to end.

The Helen Black Amnesty International group meet between 9-11am on the second Monday morning of the month in The Gap and would love to hear from anyone interested in joining the group. Please contact Di on 33001861. The Ashgrove Amnesty International group meets on the first and third evenings of the month and can be contacted by calling Sally on 3366 2046 or 0476 006 990.

BRIGGS Carmen

Real Estate Agent | Justice of the Peace M 0418 742 511 P 3505 4444 carmen.briggs@harcourtssolutions.com.au