Felony Murder Elimination Project is sharing this urgent call to action from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children to stand against the expansion of Solitary Confinement in California.
In May 2026, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) proposed new rules for Restricted Housing Units, also known as solitary confinement. These proposed regulations threaten to reverse critical reforms and expand the use of long-term restrictive housing in California prisons.
The proposed rules would allow people to be placed in restrictive housing for an indeterminate period without a disciplinary finding, conviction for serious misconduct, or a transparent evidentiary standard. This would create a pathway for more people to be subjected to prolonged isolation without meaningful due process, oversight, or relief.
No one should be forcibly isolated inside a cage for 23 hours a day.
The United Nations Mandela Rules strictly define solitary confinement as being confined for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact. They declare that any period of isolation lasting longer than 15 consecutive days constitutes psychological torture The denial of social interaction and sensory stimulation inflicts severe psychiatric and neurological damage. The American Civil Liberties Union and medical organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness note that inmates often experience extreme anxiety, paranoia, psychosis, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Please take action TODAY by submitting a public comment before CDCR’s upcoming hearing, and join advocates in Sacramento on July 8 if you are able.
- WHAT: Stop Solitary Confinement in California
- WHEN: Wednesday, July 8, 2026; Press Conference: 8:30 am PT, Public Hearing: 10:00 am PT
- WHERE: State of California Building C, Room 101 8260 Longleaf Drive, Room 101, Elk Grove, CA
Use and share the toolkit to learn more, submit a comment, and attend the hearing –>> Public Comment Toolkit; Stop CDCR’s Solitary Confinement Regulations
