While often justified as a way to deter violence inside facilities, solitary confinement is more often used to punish non-violent transgressions such as dress code violations, refusal to work, or lack of respect toward correctional officials. Despite the failure of the U.S. Supreme Court to find that solitary confinement per se violates the Eighth Amendment, increasing numbers of stakeholders, including correctional officers, have called for its abolition.

This month Amelie Gonzalez and Jacqueline Goodman review Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change by Ben Austen.

The Board of Directors adopted a resolution regarding women in prison and jails.

Laurie Hallmark discusses how to manage a client through the system using psychiatric advanced directives to aid the courts and other court and police personnel during the trial and placement process. Jacqueline Hall discusses the interface of DNA, neuroscience, and addiction with the criminal legal system. Elizabeth Blackwood hosts the discussion.

Professor Judith Resnik will discuss the seismic impact of her recent research on solitary confinement – the Yale Liman Center and Correctional Leaders Association’s ongoing study on solitary confinement in US prisons. The current state of constitutional law regarding solitary confinement exposes two main areas in need of immediate academic intervention: definitional challenges and an absence of data reporting. JoEllyn Jones, defense lawyer and member of NACDL’s Decarceration Committee, will facilitate Prof. Resnik’s discussion of her research and issues in addressing solitary confinement.

David Cloud, Research Director of AMEND, a University of California, San Francisco-based organization, will discuss AMEND’s unique approach to reforming prison culture. In an incredibly informative event facilitated by defense lawyer and author Jerry Buting, Mr. Cloud will address training prison staff in Norway’s correctional principles, and the public health, medical ethics, occupational health, and international human rights aspects of prison reform.

Mr. Jack Donson, Executive Director of the Federal Prison Education and Reform Alliance, along with moderator, Patricia Cresta-Savage, Chair of the Corrections Committee, discuss the recent updates to the "How to Navigate the Prison System Guide." Mr. Donson discusses navigating the BOP from pre-trial to sentencing classification and post-conviction. He reviews the updated Guide to include the links to documents, references, policies and procedures for incarcerated individuals, practitioners, and their families.

Elizabeth Kelley, author and former NACDL board member, discusses mental health treatment and litigation, along with a focus on re-entry. Pat Cresta-Savage of NACDL’s Corrections Committee introduces the program and provides additional information on the work of the committee.

Dr. Nazgol Ghandnoosh will share her latest research on prison sentence lengths. In this presentation moderated by defense lawyer Seth P. Chazin, Dr. Ghandnoosh will discuss that among the many facts revealed by her research, it was clear that lengthy sentences do far more societal harm than good and that lengthier sentences are demonstrably unjustified: Although 56% of people in U.S. prisons are sentenced to 10 or more years, research shows that people “age out” of crime in 10 years – recidivism decreases dramatically after a decade and desistance takes roughly 16 years.

John Albanes, NACDL Return to Freedom Project Legal Director, discusses a mental health case study, following a case through the system from pre-trial to post conviction. Jack Donson, BOP expert, discusses the current mental health treatment and re-entry programs. Pat Cresta-Savage of NACDL’s Corrections Committee introduces the program and provides additional information on the work of the committee.

As diagnosed behavioral health complexities continue to rise in the general population, so is true in the criminal legal system.  According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 80% of inmates have a history of drug or alcohol abuse.  Addiction being a biopsychosocial disease is often comorbid with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health condition, this condition is better treated medically rather than penalized legally.

The presentation includes a brief PowerPoint presentation on topics from the Female Offender Manual. A panel discussion follows to address questions on the policy, medical treatment, special needs and challenges regarding the administration of female facilities. 

On March 8th, 2021, NACDL's Corrections Committee released an important new online resource, “The State of Prison & Jail Communication Systems,” as well as a separate manual, “How to Navigate the Federal Prison System.” Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, both the online interactive map and guide are especially crucial and timely resources for attorneys, family members of incarcerated individuals, and the public.

Special guest host Pat Cresta-Savage is joined by Dr. Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, UNC School of Medicine and Center for Health Equity Research, and co-founder of the COVID Prison Project, which tracks data and policy across the country to monitor COVID-19 in correctional facilities and offers analysis and resources to better understand how coronavirus is impacting justice-involved individuals.

Where the majority of convicted federal defendants confront incarceration within the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), it is incumbent upon counsel to understand the agency's policies and practices so as to best advise their clients and navigate during a difficult period. This presentation focuses on designation, medical care, substance abuse treatment, the FIRST STEP Act, pre-release placement and COVID-19 related considerations.

Presented by Todd Bussert, Frost | Bussert LLC, New Haven, CT