Fighting To End Solitary Confinement

Interview by Jim Braude with Lizz Matos and Benito Vega
WGBH Greater Boston
March 23, 2016

A group of local criminal justice reformers has organized a Week of Action on Solitary Confinement to raise awareness of what they consider the cruelty of the practice which 80 to 100 thousand Americans experience every day. As part of the effort, a play on the issue is premiering Wednesday night at Boston University. It’s called Mariposa and the Saint and tells the true story of a woman locked in solitary confinement for nearly three years. all through the letters Mariposa exchanged with the playwright. It’s a timely play, as Massachusetts legislators are considering a bill that would limit the use of solitary in state prisons.

Prisoners’ Legal Services Attorney, Lizz Matos, and solitary survivor Benito Vega joined Jim to discuss solitary confinement. Read more here and see the full interview below.