We have sent the attached open letter to Gov. Murphy urging him to sign the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act. Signatories on the letter include 19 national and international organizations, 76 New Jersey-based organizations, 13 organizations from other states, 37 faith congregations, and 537 individuals.
July 10, 2019
Dear Governor Murphy,
Isolated confinement, by any name, is immoral, inhumane, and ineffective. There is a better way. The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act (A314/S3261) codifies into law important time limits on isolation as well as crucial protections for vulnerable populations, including people with serious mental illnesses, people with developmental disabilities, pregnant women, and others.
After Governor Christie vetoed a similar bill in 2016, you joined the chorus of faith leaders, advocates, and survivors of the torturous practice when we publicly rebuked him for his cruelty.
The time has come for you to stand behind us once more, joining the will of the people and progressive corrections professionals around the country.
We, the undersigned, strongly urge you to sign The Isolated Confinement Restriction Act into law, immediately.
Sincerely,
National Organizations: Amnesty International USA; Human Rights Watch; Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; National Religious Campaign Against Torture; T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; Unlock the Box Campaign; American Civil Liberties Union; Equal Justice Initiative; The Southern Poverty Law Center; Southern Center for Human Rights; LatinoJustice PRLDEF; National Alliance on Mental Illness; National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH); National Center for Lesbian Rights; Campaign for Youth Justice; Center for Children's Law and Policy; Juvenile Law Center; The Bail Project; Social Workers Against Solitary Confinement;
New Jersey Organizations: New Jersey Working Families; New Jersey State Conference NAACP; New Jersey Policy Perspective; American Civil Liberties Union of NJ; Latino Action Network; Garden State Equality; American Friends Service Committee; New Jersey Institute for Social Justice; New Jersey Citizen Action; Fair Share House Center; Anti-Poverty Network of NJ; SEIU 32BJ; CWA-NJ; NJ State Industrial Union Council; Make the Road New Jersey; NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice; Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center; Cosecha New Jersey ; People's Organization for Progress; Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey; National Organization for Women of New Jersey; Cherry Hill Women's Center; Women for Progress; Wo/Men Who Never Give Up, Inc; New Jersey Parents Caucus, Inc; SPAN Parent Advocacy Network; National Alliance on Mental Illness - New Jersey; Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey; New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc.; Solidarity 22; NJ-CAIC; UU FaithAction NJ; Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry NJ; Centurion; Newark Communities for Accountable Policing; New Jersey Forum for Human Rights; BlueWaveNJ; Our Revolution Essex; Our Revolution Monmouth; Our Revolution Ocean ; Our Revolution Somerset; Our Revolution South Jersey; Our Revolution Union; New Way Forward; Indivisible NJ 5th District; South Jersey Women for Progressive Change; Cooper River Indivisible; Green Party of Monmouth County; Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War; Hudson For All; Elijah's Promise; RCHP Affordable Housing Corp; NeighborCorps Re-Entry Services; New Jersey Tenants Organization; Camden County National Action Network; Seton Hall Center for Social Justice; Princeton Students for Prison Education, Abolition, and Reform; Rutgers Newark College Democrats ; Association of Black Law Students of Rutgers Law School- Newark; Guston & Guston LLP; Anderson Doula Services; Ethical Culture Society of Bergen Co./Columbia University; Northeast Black Law Student Association (NEBLSA); Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center; The Nubian News; NJ Region of Pax Christi USA; Reimagining Justice; Chan Law Office; Union County (NJ) Peace; Bergen County Stigma Free Zone, The SFZ News of N; Our Revolution New Jersey; Food & Water; RISE; EraseTheRedline Inc.; Embrace Race-Legislative Action;
New Jersey Faith Congregations, Councils, and Committees: Social Action Commission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; Social Action Commission of the First Episcopal District of the AME Church; Salvation and Social Justice; Reform Jewish Voice of New Jersey; Council of Imams in New Jersey; Greater New Jersey United Methodist Women; NJ Synod, ELCA; New Jersey Conference, Churches of Spiritual Humanism; Bethany Baptist Church; The Reformed Church of Highland Park; Justice & Mercy Committee of Reformed Church of Highland Park; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Montclair; Beacon UU Congregation in Summit; Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton; Dorothea Dix Unitarian Universalist Community; Central Unitarian Church; Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple; Temple Emeth; Bnai Keshet; Temple Emeth; Temple Ner Tamid; All Saints Episcopal Parish; Mt. Zion AME Church Riverton, NJ; Mt. Pisgah AME Church; Mount Zion Baptist Church; Sparta United Methodist Church -- Church and Society Committee; St. Matthew AME Church, Orange; St. John's Episcopal Church; Abyssinian Baptist Church; Bethel AME Church, Moorestown, NJ; Social and Food Justice Director of Trinity Episcopal Church; Abiding Peace Lutheran Church; Israel Memorial AME Church; Nafshenu; Pilgrim Baptist Church; Urban Revival Project; Community Refuge Church of Christ;
Organizations From Other States: NYCAIC; NY State Assoc. of Protestant Chaplains; National Alliance on Mental Health NYS - Criminal Justice; Western New York Peace Center; Prison Family Anonymizes; California Families Against Solitary Confinement; ACLU of Nebraska; All of Us or None-St. Louis Chapter; The Spiritual Awareness Center; Incarcerated Nation; RocACTS Criminal Justice Task Force; Florida Legal Services, Inc.; Rockland Immigration Coalition
Individuals: Aaron Tesfaye; Abbey Dexter; Adam Sheridan ; Adam Sroczynski; Adriana Abizadeh; Adriana Scanteianu; Ailene Farkac; Akiko Fujita Van Antwerpen; Alan Sanders; Alexander Shalom; Alexandra Martin; Alexandra Smith ; Alexis Karteron; Aliya Austin; Allora Richey; Alyssa Florio-August; Amanda Eisenhour; Amanda Gillum; Amanda Potter; Amanda Savage; Amos Caley; Amy Bandler; Amy Miller; Amy Whelan; Ananya Prakash; Andrea James; Andrea Long; Andrea McChristian; Andrew Hahm; Anisah Sabur; Anjali Mehrotra; Anju Gupta; Ann Freeman Price; Ann Marie McGinley; Anna Laycock; Anna Wong; Anna-Marta Visky; Anne Houle; Anne Smullen Thieling; Anneliese C. Scherfen; Annie Glynn; Arlene Sroczynski; Assatta Mann; Austin Morreale; Barbara Allan; Barbara Cronenberger; Barbara Scabarozi; Barbara Weill Greenberg; Barry Brendel; Bassam Khawaja; Beartland Chan; Bennet D. Zurofsky; Beth Stephens; Betty J. Ashwood; Bill Neely; Bishop Fred Rubin; Bishop Tracie L. Bartholomew; Blossom Toussaint; Bobbie A Person; Bonney Parker; Bonnie Kerness; Br. Christopher McNabb; Brandon McKoy; Brenda Valladares; Brian Lozano; Brian Szura; Brooke Cannata; Cara A. Parmigiani; Carl Haag; Carl Phillips; Carol A. Loscalzo; Carol E. Gay; Carol Hoffman; Carrie Dirks; Carrie Gordon; Cat Sposato; Catherine Ambos; Catherine Townsend; Cathy Menendez; Cecilia A. Rowedder; Chad Dell; Charlene Walker; Charles Orlowicz; Chia-Chia Wang; Christian Estevez; Christina Crowthers; Christine Piatek; Christine Reilly ; Christof Heyns; Christopher Fegan; Christopher M. Jones; Chuck Culhane; Cindy Guaman; Claire Deroche; Claudia E. Cohen; Cody Cutting; Corene Kendrick; Courtnie Bolden; Crystal Mor; Cuqui Rivera ; Cynthia Chazen; Daniel Teehan; David Hernandez; David J. Thomas; David Topchik; Dean Hiatt; Deborah Convery; Debra E. Guston; Debra Hutt; Debra L. Wentz; Debra Wentz; Dell Gerster; Derek Minno-Bloom; Diana Autin; Diane Beeny; Diane Du Brule; Diane Finn; Dolores Canales; Don Freeman, Jr.; Donna Brady; Donna Hilburn- Campbell; Dosier Hammond; Douglas S. Eakeley; Douglas P. Van Zandt; Dr. Anne Matlack; Dr. Colleen Eren; Dr. Georganne D'Angelo; Dr. Henry Kuo; Dr. Joseph Chuman; Dr. Michele Ochsner; Dr. Omri M. Behr; Dr. Tarika Daftary Kapur; Dr. Wayles Browne; Dr. Wendy Christensen; Dunbar P. Birnie, III; Eileen Bird; Eileen Bird; Elena Gil; Elena Kravitz; Elise Boddie; Elissa Hoeger; Elissa Schwartz; Elizabeth Bain; Elizabeth Breedlove; Elizabeth Herman; Elizabeth Townley; Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg; Ellie Muska; Elyla Huertas; Emahunn Raheem Ali Campbell; Emilee Walker-Cornetta; Emily Wilkes; Emma Rush; Eric Periman; Erica Dugué; Erica Levine; Erika Arenger; Erika Herman; Erin Chung; Erin Clark; Esteban Gil; Esther Canty-Barnes; Eve Ellsworth; Eytan Stern Weber; Farrin R. Anello; Felipa Bernard; Felix Ullrich; Five Mualimm-ak; Florence Smith ; Florencia Allegretti; Frances Geteles; Gail Kadison Golden; Gail Tynkov; Gale Muhammad; Gantry Fox; Gatien Laurol; George Kidney; Georgiana Hart; Grace Riordan; Hanna Johnson; Hayat Mohammad; Heather Craven; Heather Simms ; Heather Skaggs; Heide Ilgenfritz; Helen Szathmary; Ilene Gilbert; Ilene Palena; Imam W. Deen Shareef; Jack Feinstein; Jacquelyn Godbey; Jacquelyn Juricic; Jake Blecher; Jamaine Cripe; James Pope; James Rush; Jamie Anderson; Jamie Evanini; Janai Fullard ; Jane McNeal; Jane Perry; Janet Heroux; Janet Hubbard; Janice Caldwell; Janika Best; Jayette Lansbury; Jean Casella; Jean Ross; Jean Stockdale; Jeanne LoCicero; Jeff Epstein; Jen Shannon; Jennifer Mee; Jennifer Monge; Jenny Lutz; Jenny-Brooke Condon; Jeree Thomas; Jessenia Class; Jessica Feierman; Jessica Hunsdon ; Jessica Kitson; Jessica Laus; Jessica Park; Jessica Sandoval; Jillian Silverman; Jim McAsey; Jo Sippie-Gora; Joan Pleune; Joann Marota; Joe Houle; Johanna Calle; Johanna Foster; John Butler ; John DeMasi; John Herman; John Hulme; John Leubsdorf; John Mitchell; Johnny Perez ; Jon C. Dubin; Jorge Contesse; Joyce McMillan; Judith Arnold; Judith K. Golden; Judith Rew; Judith S.Banes; Julianna Gabelman; Juliet Quiles; June Raegner; Justin Mazzola; Kaitlyn Anders; Kaitlyn Wojtowicz; Kamau Kujichagulia; Karen Long; Karin Duffield; Karin Vanoppen; Karol Y. Ruiz; Kate Germond; Kate Oh; Katherine Haas; Kathleen FitzPatrick; Kathleen W. Schulz; Kathryn (Trink) Prinz; Kathy O'Leary; Kathy Wright; Keith Benson; Kelsey De Avila; Kevin Brown; Kevin Stokes; Kevin Trayner; Khalil Muhammad; Kiersten Carlson; Kimberly Krone; Kimi Nakata; Kristine Beirne; Kristyn Brandi ; Ky'Eisha Penn; Larry Bernard; LaTonya Tate; Laura Cohen; Laura Heim ; Laura I. Kramer; Laura Pitter; Laura Rovner; Laura Whitehorn; Lauren Foss; Lauren Kuhlik; Laurent Comes; Lawrence M. Ladutke; Leah Horowitz; Leila Ullmann; Linda Bacon; Linda DeLap; Linda Evans; Linette Munoz; Lisa Fagley; Litsa Binder; Liz Battiston; Liz Cohen ; Liza Chowdhury; Liza Weisberg; Loretta Winters; Lori A. Nessel; Lori Phelan; Lori Sender; Louise Ille; Lydia Thornton; Lynn Chaiken; Lynn Hogan; Madeline Trimble; Mahmoud Mahmoud; Marc Lauritano; Marcia Marley; Mardysa Arnold; Margaret McLane; Margaret Zientek; Maria Eva Dorigo; Maria Nina Scarpa; Marian R Stuart; Marianne Kehoe ; Marie Ligon; Marijah Sroczynski; Marinus J. Broekman; Marissa Michaels; Mark Kantor; Mark Lesko; Mark Parker-Magyar; Mark Soler; Martha J. Buckwalter; Mary Carol Day; Mary Coakley-Fields; Mary Ellen Waterman; Mary Previtera; Mary Tulloss; Mary Watterson; Masha Miura; Matt Dragon; Matt Shapiro; Maya Kouassi ; Meagan Glaser; Megan Crowe-Rothstein; Meredith Masin Blount ; Meredith Sue Wllis; Micah Herskind; Michael B. Mushlin; Michael Buccheri; Michael Coyle; Michael Crockford; Michael Kane; Michael Strauss; Michael Tomb; Michele Ortlip; Michelle Boddorff; Mona Patel; Monica Day; Montserrat Soler; Moya Atkinson; Munirah Bomani; Nadja Rutkowski; Nafeesah Ali Goldsmith; Nancy Griffeth; Nancy Lang; Nancy M. Bialkowski; Nancy Pope White; Naomi Drew; Natalia Marte; Nathan Johnson; Nick Lewis, President; Nicole Pivnick; Nicolette Molina; Nina Henry; Nitin Kini; Pamela Flores; Parantap Pandya; Pastor Terrence Porter; Pat Kalinowski; Patricia Cook; Patricia Grabowski; Patricia Silvestri; Patricia Whiten; Patrick Mellin; Patty Berger; Paul A. Baynard, Sr.; Paula D’Ambrosa; Peggy Brown; Peggy Hayden; Peter Schofield; Phillip Lubitz; Phyllis Salowe-Kaye; Quincy Bloxom ; Rabbi Adena Blum; Rabbi David Greenstein; Rabbi David Levy; Rabbi David Z. Vaisberg; Rabbi Elliott Tepperman; Rabbi Eric M. Rosin; Rabbi Esther Reed; Rabbi Ethan Prosnit; Rabbi Larry Sernovitz; Rabbi Lee Paskind; Rabbi Marc Katz; Rabbi Maya Glasser; Rabbi Philip Bazeley; Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster; Rabbi Randall Mark; Rabbi Steven Sirbu; Ramon Gil; Randi Levine; Randi Mandelbaum; Rebecca Kunkel ; Regina A. Sessoms; Renee Koubiadis; Rev. Blake Scalet; Rev. Carol S. Haag; Rev. Chris Halverson; Rev. Doretha Jackson; Rev. Dr. Cris H. Mogenson; Rev. Dr. Leslie Robin Harrison; Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, II; Rev. Dr. Stanley Hearst, Sr.; Rev. Elaine Ellis Thomas; Rev. Eric Dobson; Rev. Eugene P Squeo; Rev. Jameel Morrison; Rev. Julie Yarborough; Rev. Kathryn S. Irwin; Rev. Linda G.S. Ellerbe; Rev. Lori Person Baynard; Rev. Mark David Johnson; Rev. Melvin E. Wilson; Rev. Rob Gregson; Rev. Robert Moore; Rev. Robin Tanner; Rev. Ron Stief; Rev. Rosemarie Newberry; Rev. Sammy Arroyo; Rev. Sara Lilja; Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael; Rev. Serena Rice; Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale; Rev. Tama Bell; Rev. Thomas M. Murphy; Rev. Timothy Adkins-Jones; Rev. William A. Courson; Richard Goldberg; Richard Smith ; Richard Sroczynski; Riquan King; Robert Bozzay; Robert Flora; Robert T. Hedden; Robert W. 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