State/County - Bensalem Township
State Reps. Kinkead & Davis Call for Solitary Confinement Reform
State Representatives Emily Kinkead (D-Allegheny) and Tina Davis (D-Bucks) will soon formally introduce a solitary confinement reform bill as the duo pushed reform legislation at a Capitol rally with Abolitionist Law Center.
As solitary confinement is used on people as a form of punishment in Pennsylvania prisons and jails, Kinkead held a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol discussing her legislation with Davis to reform how the tactic is implemented in the state’s criminal justice system.
“Solitary confinement is not only cruel – it’s counterproductive to the goals of our justice system,” said Kinkead. “Isolating people for hours or days at a time does nothing to rehabilitate them and only deepens trauma that many are already carrying. This legislation is about protecting both inmates and prison staff, ensuring accountability, and ending a practice that has no place in a system that claims to value justice and rehabilitation.”
“Solitary confinement, especially when used on vulnerable individuals like those with mental illness or disabilities, causes lasting harm and does little to promote rehabilitation,” said Davis. “This legislation is about creating a more humane and just correctional system – one that prioritizes mental health, transparency, and real opportunities for reform. It’s time we recognize that isolating people in this way is not justice – it’s cruelty.”
Submitted: House Democratic Communications Office
Kinkead’s and Davis’ proposed legislation would:
- Prohibit solitary confinement of individuals for longer than 15 days.
- Require the use of less restrictive interventions prior to the use of solitary confinement.
- Require access to mental health and other supportive services for those in solitary confinement.
- Improve transparency and speed of appeals for those who are put into solitary confinement.
- Limit the use of solitary confinement for young people, people with mental illness, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations.
- Establish parameters for guaranteed out-of-cell time and social interactions for individuals placed in solitary confinement.
“Solitary confinement is something that our society has considered dangerously damaging and harmful, but we’ve let our guard down since the 1980s and allowed it to become present in every jail and prison in Pennsylvania. Now is the time to look closely at where we can eliminate it and greatly cut back on the people we’re sending to our solitary units – and help create a healthier and safer society by putting less people through that traumatizing experience,” said Abolitionist Law Center organizer John Thompson.
Additionally, Kinkead will soon introduce separate legislation that would reform the use of solitary confinement in the commonwealth’s juvenile detention centers and is part of the CARE Package for Juvenile Justice unveiled by her and five other Pennsylvania House Democrats earlier this year.
Human Interest - Bensalem Township
Police Seek Info on Missing Teen Believed to be in Lower Bucks Area
State/County - Bensalem Township
Burlington Bristol Bridge to Close Overnight Beginning Friday for Maintenance Work
In only its second year, Bucks County Community College (BCCC) picked up another medal at the prestigious horticultural expo for its ‘Rooted in Art’ tribute to Stella Elkins Tyler.
BCCC’s floral design program has once again taken home a prize in only its second year participating in the Philadelphia Flower Show. Students, alumni, and instructors earned a bronze medal for “Rooted in Art,” reflecting the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features Tyler’s sculpture “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” donated to the College by Carol Tyler, who visited the show with College President & CEO Dr. Patrick M. Jones (Feature Pic). The College was founded on the Tyler estate in Newtown more than 60 years ago. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.
Credit: BCCC
A team of 20 students, alumni, and instructors from BCCC’s floral design program helped install “Rooted in Art” at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which reflects the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features one of Tyler’s original bronze sculptures, “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” pictured in the background.
Credit: BCCC
Melanie Poff (left) and her mother Els Poff, both Certified Floral Designers from Doylestown and students in BCCC’s floral design program, helped surround “Joan of Arc at Orleans” by Stella Elkins Tyler with botanical beauty at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The sculpture is part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit, reflecting the deep connection between art, education, and nature that Stella Elkins Tyler championed throughout her life.
Credit: BCCC
Amparito Arriaga, a Certified Floral Designer from Exton and a student in BCCC’s floral design program, installs part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.
-
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township4 weeks agoMan Charged For Murdering Girlfriend in Oaktree Section Of Levittown
-
Cops, Courts & Fire -Falls Township2 weeks agoFairless Hill Man Arrested on False Imprisonment, Aggravated Assault Charges After Text Breakup
-
Breaking News - Bristol Township4 weeks agoCops: Death Investigation Going On in Oaktree Section of Levittown at Home Just Put Up for Sale
-
Human Interest - Bensalem Township3 weeks agoNearby: 67 Year-Old Levittown Woman Charged for Threatening SEPTA Bus Passengers, Racially Incendiary Remarks
-
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Township3 weeks agoCroydon Burglary Thwarted by 11 Year-Olds Call for Help
-
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough4 weeks agoBristol Woman Charged, Jailed in Dog Attack of Bristol Borough Police Officer
-
Breaking News - Bensalem Township2 weeks agoPredator Poachers Nab Philly Man Allegedly Seeking Sex with 11 Year-Old in Bensalem
-
Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough3 days agoBristol Borough Fire Chiefs Statement on Dorrance Street Fire