2021 PROTECT Act Public Hearing

The public hearing for the 2021 PROTECT Act (SB 1059) took place on March 22, 2021. In advance of the hearing, well over one hundred people representing a broad range of lived experiences submitted testimony in support of the PROTECT Act. Below are some of their stories and perspectives that illustrate why solitary confinement must be abolished in Connecticut.


Testimony from Incarcerated People

Carlos Baez
Joe Baltas
Julian Bennett
Jason Goode
William McKinney
Joseph Stewart
Darnell Walker
Carlton Wallace
Victor Rodriguez
Kyle Lamar Paschal Barros
Kezlyn Mendez

Expert Testimony

Benjamin Howell, MD, MPH
Reena Kapoor, MD
Kevin Keenan
Bandy Lee, MD, MDiv
Lowenstein Human Rights Clinic
Juan Méndez
Michael Mushlin
Lisa Puglisi, MD
Linda Ross Meyer
Margo Schlanger
Stephen Wanczyk- Karp, LMSW
Lisa Winjum
Liman Center

Testimony from Organizations

Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law
National Association of Social Workers
Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic
Connecticut Legal Rights Project
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Center for Children's Advocacy
Vera Institute of Justice
Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities
ACLU CT
Connecticut Voices for Children
SEIU Healthcare - 1199NE
Connecticut Justice Alliance
National Alliance on Mental Illness - Connecticut
Black and Brown United in Action
United Church of Christ - Southern New England Conference
Unidad Latina en Accion
Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
One Standard of Justice