“Solitary
confinement locks prisoners in a cell for 23 hours a day, sometimes with an
hour alone in an exercise cage. Food is pushed through a small slot in
the door. Meaningful socialization is completely denied, while phone
calls and visitation are extremely limited. Those who have survived it
describe the experience as being ‘buried alive’… Prolonged isolation destroys a person’s mind,
body and spirit and thus flies in the face of basic Jewish values which embrace
human dignity, rehabilitation and reintegration and reject excessive and
destructive punishment.”
That’s how Rabbi
Rachel Gartner describes prolonged solitary confinement, sometimes referred to
as being put “in the hole.” She looks at
it through a Jewish prism. Working with
the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, comprised of numerous faith
communities, Rabbi Gartner understands that torture in prisons is rampant.
The International Day against Torture, on the 26th, will soon be here. Please remember that being buried alive is a
terrible way to treat any human being.
