www.nrcat.org
campaign@nrcat.org
202-547-1920

February 22, 2013
Attention: Krayton Kerns, Chair, Montana House Judiciary Committee
Members of the Montana House Judiciary Committee
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Montana House Judiciary Committee:
Thank you for this opportunity to submit a letter in support of House Bill 536 on behalf of the
National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) and our more than 300 diverse faithbased organizational members across the United States. We write to the committee in advance
of the hearing scheduled for today, February 22, 2013, to consider House Bill 536, the “Montana
Solitary Confinement Act,” a bill that would restrict the use of long-term solitary confinement in
Montana state prison facilities.
As people of faith, we urge you to support this bill. The National Religious Campaign Against
Torture, whose members represent all faith traditions, recognize that prolonged solitary
confinement denies the essential human need for community, impedes genuine rehabilitation,
and is damaging to the psychological and social development of youth. Research consistently
demonstrates that the psychological effects, particularly among children and people with mental
illness, are devastating. The damage of solitary confinement is a violation of human dignity and
is of grave concern to the faith community. Therefore, we strongly support the passage of House
Bill 536, particularly its provisions to end the use of solitary confinement of youth under 18,
inmates with serious mental illness, and other prisoners needing special consideration, as well as
its support for limiting long-term solitary confinement for all inmates.
The bill also includes a critical public safety measure by limiting the use of solitary confinement
for prisoners who are within one year of their release. As people of faith, we recognize that
rehabilitation must include preparation for successful re-entry following incarceration. Because
of the devastating psychological and social impacts of prolonged solitary confinement, re-entry
is significantly undermined by an inmate’s immediate release from solitary confinement into the
community.
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture advocates for limiting the use of solitary
confinement in U.S. federal and state prisons. In 2010, NRCAT partnered with a diverse
coalition of organizations in Maine to push for the successful passage of a resolve by the state
legislature requiring the Department of Corrections to review its solitary confinement policies
and procedures. As a result of the review and its recommendations, the solitary confinement
population in Maine has been reduced by more than 70 percent. Momentum to halt the use of
prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. prisons continues to build nationally, with the first-ever
Congressional hearing on the use of prolonged solitary confinement convened last June by
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois. Following the hearing, in February of this year, the Federal

National Religious Campaign Against Torture
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 502, Washington, DC 20002

www.nrcat.org
campaign@nrcat.org
202-547-1920

Bureau of Prisons agreed to the first-ever independent and comprehensive assessment of its use
of prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. federal prisons.
In this moment when the use of prolonged solitary confinement is under increasing scrutiny
around the country, House Bill 536 presents Montana with a critical opportunity to lead the way
nationally in increasing access to rehabilitation and reducing harm.
We urge you to support H.B. 536. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Rev. Richard L. Killmer
Executive Director

National Religious Campaign Against Torture
110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 502, Washington, DC 20002