Ending Long-Term Solitary Confinement in California

Inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison were being held in solitary confinement for decades at time, isolated in a cell the size of a parking lot for 22 to 24 hours a day. Ten men in Pelican Bay sued the state of California with assistance from the Center for Constitutional Rights for its use of indeterminate long-term solitary confinement. The plaintiffs claimed that such treatment violated their constitutionally protected rights of due process and protection from cruel and unusual punishment. NMAP partnered with the Center for Constitutional Rights to compile their individual deposition footage into a compelling video that supported their case and painted a clear picture of the psychological and physical effects of long-term solitary confinement. The case was settled out of court in 2015, and ended indeterminate long-term solitary confinement in California.