Physicians for Human Rights
Using science and medicine to stop human rights violationsBlog
“Solitary Confinement Has No Place in Immigration Detention”
For his first official investigation as the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Juan Mendez chose to tackle the question of whether the use of solitary confinement amounts to torture.
Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant Law Denies Basic Human Right to Water
Access to clean water is considered a basic human right- just like the right to food and the right to live without torture, but a new law means undocumented people in Alabama may be incarcerated for a decade for trying to access running water for their homes.
Asylum Seeker Released After Years of Indefinite Detention
After five years in detention, asylum seeker Glorismel Centeno Ortiz was finally released on September 29 2011. Centeno spent nearly two years in federal custody for criminal charges that were ultimately dismissed and then another three years in immigration detention. Centeno is one of thousands of immigrants that languish indefinitely in detention for years, waiting for the day they will finally be deported or released.
Short-Term Immigration Detention: Custody May be Temporary, but the Problems are Enduring
Despite repeated calls for reform, the immigration detention web continues to grow in scale and cost, and the majority of immigrants held by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have broken no criminal laws.
Massachusetts Legislature Considers Imposing Fees on Inmates
With budgets in crisis and the recession showing no signs of abatement, Massachusetts is looking for creative ways to cut prison spending. In a recent Joint Committee on the Judiciary session, Republican lawmakers and a group of sheriffs asked the Committee to support a bill that would require Massachusetts inmates to pay for their time in lock up.
PHR Blogs
Home // About // Library // Press Room // RSS // Blog // Students // Privacy Policy // Contact Us
© Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) 2011
2 Arrow Street, Suite 301, Cambridge, MA 02138 // Tel 617.301.4200 // Fax 617.301.4250
1156 15th Street, NW, Washington DC 20005 // Tel 202.728.5335 // Fax 202.728.3053