LunchTalk Series: the Worst of the Worst (Oct 28)
The latest in the long-running series of LunchTalks examines Connecticut's maximum security prison and the practice of solitary confinement.
Tuesday, October 28th
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
United Way of Greater New Haven
370 James Street Ste. 403
New Haven, CT 06513
The Worst of the Worst
Portrait of a SuperMax Prison
| "Researchers have demonstrated that prolonged solitary confinement causes a persistent and heightened state of anxiety and nervousness, headaches, insomnia, lethargy or chronic tiredness, nightmares, heart palpitations, and fear of impending nervous breakdowns." |
This film by the Yale Law School Visual Law Project depicts Connecticut's sole supermax prison, where many inmates are held in solitary confinement for months and even years at a time. Hard-hitting interviews with a range of experts and administrators are interwoven with the powerful stories of those who spend their days within the walls of Northern: inmates and correctional officers.
Discussion following with community members and the Interim Commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Corrections, Scott Semple.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP to cchan@cfgnh.org.
Resources:
Center for Constitutional Rights - Reassessing Solitary Confinement
Center for Constitutional Rights - FACT sheet on Solitary Confinement
The Sentencing Project - Trends in US Corrections
This American Life - Episode 538 transcript or podcast
Recommended Reading*:
Punishment and Inequality in America – Bruce WesternPunished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys – Victor M. Rios
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander
The Justice Imperative: How Hyper Incarceration Has Hijacked the American Dream – Brian E. Moran
*Links provided to Amazon.com are for educational purposes; no single website is endorsed for obtaining a copy of these resources.
