Campaign to End Torture In Washington, D.C.

We must end torture in D.C.

Washington, D.C.’s Department of Corrections uses solitary confinement three times more than the national average.  The United Nations, through their Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, identified prolonged solitary confinement (isolation for longer than 15 days, 22 hours a day) as torture.

On October 18, 2023, D.C. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau introduced the Eliminating Restrictive and Segregated Enclosures (“ERASE”) Solitary Confinement Act of 2023 to put an end to the use of solitary confinement in D.C.’s jails.  The Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety now needs to hold a hearing on the bill and move it forward.  To join us in pushing for passage of the ERASE bill in Council Period 25, you can:


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What is Solitary Confinement?

How is Solitary Confinement Used in D.C.?

How is Solitary Confinement Used in D.C.?


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What is the Unlock the Box D.C. Coalition? 

The Unlock the Box DC Coalition is a group of transformative justice advocates working to end the use of solitary confinement in all its forms in the District of Columbia. The DC Coalition is part of the Unlock the Box national campaign to end solitary confinement in the United States. The national campaign includes partners from 19 states and D.C. working to transform incarceration and end the use of solitary confinement nationwide. 

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Use this form to:

Watch the Hearing on the 2022 ERASE bill.

In October 2023, the Unlock the Box-DC Coalition rallied in support of the introduction of the 2023 ERASE bill.

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Solitary confinement is a cruel, inhumane, and degrading form of punishment and amounts to torture under international law Any amount of time in solitary confinement increases the chances of suicide, opioid addiction, death by homicide, and recidivism upon release.

Patrice Sulton, Executive Director


DC Justice Lab

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ACLU-D.C. is committed to ending the practice of solitary confinement because it jeopardizes public safety, wastes taxpayer dollars, and is inhumane and traumatic to the individuals who endure it. Ending solitary confinement demands confronting inequities in the criminal justice system and the racial bias driving them. We look forward to the District’s leadership in ending solitary confinement through the passage of the ERASE Solitary legislation.

Melissa Wasser, Policy Counsel


ACLU DC

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Individuals in solitary confinement suffer strikingly consistent psychiatric symptoms, including overwhelming anxiety and depression, hallucinations, severe panic attacks, paranoia, and problems with impulse control. Solitary Confinement takes a particularly severe toll on people with mental illness, potentially inflicting permanent and disabling harm.

Katerina Semyonova, Special Counsel to the Director (Policy and Legislation)


Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia

Coalition Members

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