“The ELCA speaks in this statement from among and to its members, to those affected by crime in any way, and to those who work for the public good in various civil offices related to the criminal justice system. Drawing from Holy Scripture, this church holds up a vision of God’s justice that is wondrously richer and deeper than human efforts and yet is a gauge against which justice in this world, God’s world, must always be assessed (Amos 5:24). ” ELCA Social Statement – The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries, 2013

 

LAMPa will support reforms that reduce mass incarceration and lead to healthy and lasting re-entry into our communities.

 

Solitary Confinement

In 2019 LAMPa joined with coalition partners in addressing the need to end solitary confinement in Pennsylvania. Learn more in this report prepared by the Human Rights Coalition.  According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC), as of February 2019 more than 2,314 Pennsylvania inmates were reported as being held in segregation in the state’s Restrictive Housing Units. This number accounts for the nearly 5% of the 46,374 people in county, state and federal prisons and jails in PA. Ninety days is the maximum amount of time, per misconduct, an incarcerated individual may be sent to solitary, according the Inmate Handbook of the PADOC.

Two bills have been introduced to reduce solitary confinement in Pennsylvania. HB 497  prohibits solitary confinement for vulnerable populations. SB 832 is an Act amending Title 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for solitary confinement.