Louisiana Warden Considers End to Inmate’s Solitary Confinement After More Than Three Decades

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By Blake Bakkila, Annabel Edwards, Edward Ferguson and Alexa Santos
The Medill Justice Project
Published: July 19, 2014


ANGOLA, La.—A man who has spent 35 years in solitary confinement—one of the longest stints in a U.S. prison—may soon be released into the general inmate population. In an exclusive interview today outside the gates of the largest prison in America, Warden Burl Cain of the Louisiana State Penitentiary said he is prepared to take Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore out of what is known as closed cell restriction if the inmate, who is 59 years old, no longer represents a safety risk.

“We will get him out,” Cain said. He added, “We’d rather him out. I need his cell. I’ve got some young people, predators, that need to be in that cell. When I can conclude he’s not going to cause me the blues, then he can come out of the cell.”

The warden’s remarks came as a result of an impromptu interview with students of The Medill Justice Project investigating Whitmore’s case and the issue of solitary confinement.

Cain, who oversees a prison of more than 6,000 inmates, said he would personally meet Whitmore, who was convicted of murder nearly 40 years ago, in the next two weeks to discuss the matter. If Cain, a devout Christian who talks about inmates’ moral rehabilitation, is convinced that Whitmore isn’t a threat, he said he will transfer the inmate in a matter of months. But first, Cain said he would monitor Whitmore’s letters and telephone calls to see if the prisoner has sincerely changed.

Last year, Whitmore filed by pen a federal suit in Baton Rouge against the warden and other prison officials, claiming his imprisonment in solitary confinement violated his constitutional rights, including the Eighth Amendment guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment.

more
http://www.medilljusticeproject.org/2014/07/20/louisiana-warden-considers-end-to-inmates-solitary-confinement-after-more-than-three-decades/

35 years is torture.

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1. i've heard it argued that 35 *hours* is torture.

nice to hear that "this devout Christian who talks about inmates' moral rehabilitation" wants the 35 years of solitary to come to an end...








... because, he says, "i need his cell."