ALERTS
- WARNING: FBI tracks our visitors
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Campaigns
- Build a United Front for Peace in Prisons (9/30/2024)
- Prison Banned Books Week (9/21/2024)
- Serve the People Political Books for Prisoners Program (9/21/2024)
- End Indefinite Restrictive Housing in TDCJ (9/20/2024)
- Hold Pendleton Accountable! Stop their Censorship! (9/19/2024)
Shut Down the Control Units
initiated in January 1992updated on September 20, 2023
“Control units may vary from prison to prison but they can be generally characterized as: Permanently designated prisons or cells in prisons that lock prisoners up in solitary or small group confinement for 22 or more hours a day with no congregate dining, exercise or other services, and virtually no programs for prisoners. Prisoners are placed in control units for extended periods of time. Prisoners are usually placed in control units as an administrative measure, with no clear rules governing the moves. This makes it virtually impossible for prisoners to challenge their placement.” - abolishcontrolunits.org
Visit the website abolishcontrolunits.org for more on the campaign to shut down control units, including a DVD on the history of control units, the most comprehensive listing of all control units in the United $tates, and more ways for you to get involved!
Updates/Reports from Inside
- NPR Ignores Torture in United $tates (September 2023)
- Shut Down TX RHU, a Tool of Political Repression (January 2022)
- Campaign to Boycott Juneteenth Until Slavery and Mass Incarceration is Ended for All (October 2021)
- Hunger Strike Against Segregation in NC (September 2021)
- Shadow (January 2020)
- Louisiana Prisoners Fight Solitary Confinement (May 2019)
- Solitary Confinement in Anchorage CC used to punish prisoners avoiding gangs (June 2018)
- Solitary Confinement Ongoing in TX Despite Policy Changes (May 2018)
- ASU Prisoners Fighting Torture in California (July 2017)
- Security Investigation Division Goes Around Court Ruling (June 2017)
- Isolation and Torturous Conditions at David Wade Corrections Center (June 2017)
- Petition Against Tier II Program at GSP (May 2017)
- In the Matter of Humanity: Against Solitary Confinement (January 2017)
- Oppressive Conditions in Louisiana Control Units (October 2016)
- People Dying, Urgency to Shut Down Control Units (June 2016)
- Prisoners Plan Hunger Strike to Protest Wisconsin Long Term Isolation (April 2016)
- Petition Against Tier II Abuse at Smith State Prison (April 2016)
- Court Orders Tier II Practices Unconstitutional (March 2016)
- Support the Illinois Fight Against Solitary Confinement (October 2015)
- Following Policies or Following Whims? (June 2015)
- The more things change, the more they stay the same (May 2015)
- Delaware SHU Torture is Extreme (April 2015)
- Georgia Tier 3 Oppression Must be Fought (March 2015)
- Torture Spreading as Tool of Social Control (March 2015)
- Book Review: Out of Control (March 2015)
- Who's Defining Mental Illness? (March 2015)
- Delaware Prison System Exposed as Tool of Social Control (March 2015)
- Control Units: Social Control for Semi-Colonies in the United $tates (February 2015)
- Feds Punish Legal Battles with Extreme Isolation (November 2014)
- Fighting Georgia SMU Torture (November 2014)
- (Un)Due Process of Validation and Step Down Programs (October 2014)
- New Tennessee Control Units Modeled After Georgia System of Torture (September 2014)
- Montana Shuts Down SHU, Reopens Under a New Name (August 2014)
- Oregon Long Term Program Expanded (August 2014)
- Organizing Against Control Units in Ohio (August 2014)
- Shut Down the Oregon Long Term Program (August 2014)
- Colorado Segregation Targets Activists and Mentally Ill (August 2014)
- Georgia Implements new Control Unit Program (July 2014)
- Segregation is Torture, Unite to Fight Common Enemies (June 2014)
- California SHU Battle Part of Anti-Imperialist Struggle (June 2014)
- Allred ECB Staff Provoke Prisoner Aggression (May 2014)
- Wake up, Stand up and Speak up Against Control Units (March 2014)
- Texas Evades Reducing Ad-Seg (February 2014)
- Michigan Uses Control Units to Punish Activists (February 2014)
- Fighting for Care of Disabled in Texas (February 2014)
- California Control Units: Racial Profiling and Social Control (November 2013)
- No More Herman Wallaces! (October 2013)
- The Health Effects of Solitary Confinement (July 2013)
- Control Unit Torture at San Quentin (June 2013)
- Isolation and Torture in Texas (March 2013)
- Utah Maximum Security Prisoners Demand Basic Privileges (January 2013)
- Challenging Conditions of Confinement in SHU (December 2012)
- New Rules for California Security Threat Groups - Same Old Repression (December 2012)
- Torture in Control Units for Black Organizers (October 2012)
- Reforms Won't End Indefinite Isolation (September 2012)
- Arbitrary Use of Control Units in North Carolina (August 2012)
- Commemorating California Hunger Strike, Continuing Fight Against Control Units (July 2012)
- Georgia Hunger Strike Approaches One Month Mark (July 2012)
- Solitary Confinement Torture in Florida (July 2012)
- Control Units in Apalachee Correctional Institution (May 2012)
- Conditions in Arizona Control Units (April 2012)
- Retaliation for Hunger Strike and New Protest Ideas (March 2012)
- Solitary Confinement at Ely State Prison (Max) (March 2012)
- Control Units in Florida - Survey Reveals More Torture (December 2011)
- Political Activist Locked in SHU on Falsified Evidence (December 2011)
- Fighting Segregation, Inspired by ULK (October 2011)
- NY Bar Association Report: Supermax Isolation = Torture (October 2011)
- What is the Special Management Unit? (September 2011)
- Running Out of Space for Falsely Validated SHU Prisoners (August 2011)
- NJ Control Units Violate Court Ruling and Basic Rights (July 2011)
- Gang Validation for Doing Aztec Art (July 2011)
- Validation Update for CA SHU (June 2011)
- PBSP Food Strike Flyer (updated) and Example Letter (May 2011)
- July 1 Pelican Bay SHU Food Strike to Protest Inhuman Isolation (May 2011)
- Illegal Validation of Latinos in California (April 2011)
- Federal Employee Threatens Prisoner for Fighting Torture in Court (March 2011)
- Fighting Gang Validation Laws (December 2010)
- Validated over False Evidence (December 2010)
- False Validations Part of Prison Control Strategy (December 2010)
- Home Sweet Home (September 2010)
- Lockdown of "northern hispanics" at HDSP [Z-Unit Background Story] (September 2010)
- Revolutionary POWs fight to abolish control units (May 2010)
- An All Points Bulletin from the Concrete Tombs of Pelican Bay (January 2010)
- Turning from Violence to Progressive Organizing Gets Prisoner Validated and Locked Down (April 2009)
- Unlock the Box Research in Florida (February 2009)
- Unlock the Box Research in Texas (January 2009)
- Retaliatory Segregation in Missouri (January 2009)
- Pennsylvania torture units (December 2008)
- Life in danger after being labeled a gang member (December 2008)
- Abuse in Texas adseg (November 2008)
- Utah classification system - we must rise above (November 2008)
- Control units used as retaliation in Washington (October 2008)
- Segregation in Mississippi (September 2008)
- Info on control units in Ohio (September 2008)
- Segregation in Texas (September 2008)
- Unlock the Box - Ad-Seg in Texas (August 2008)
- Control Units in Allred Unit Texas (August 2008)
- Unlock the Box - Control Units in Texas (August 2008)
- Unlock the Box survey (July 2008)
- Control Units in New Mexico (July 2008)
- Control units in NY and PA (July 2008)
- Administrative Segregation in Texas (July 2008)
- Unlock the Box movie previews at StopMax (July 2008)
- Challenging SMU policies in the courts (July 2008)
- Using time in control units for the revolution (July 2008)
- Gang validation of the politically active (July 2008)
- Control Units in Florida (July 2008)
- Isolation Units in Oregon (June 2008)
- Pelican Bay a dead end (June 2008)
- WA Control Unit Inventory (June 2008)
- Bad food, no visits, and locked down in California (May 2008)
- Red Onion Supermax report (May 2008)
- New Jersey Gang Unit (May 2008)
- SHU conditions at Upstate Correctional Facility (May 2008)
- Report on Upstate Supermax (May 2008)
- Washington Supermax report (May 2008)
- Understanding Solitary Confinement (May 2008)
- Problems with new BHU for mentally ill (April 2008)
- Survey of Oregon Control Units (April 2008)
- Segregation and Classification in Texas (February 2008)
- Brutal segregation cells (October 2007)
- California uses gang label to stop activist prisoners (October 2007)
- Long term segregation in Nevada (October 2007)
- Shut Down the SHU in NY (October 2007)
- Control units - living like dogs (October 2007)
- 21 years in Super Max with no way out (September 2007)
- No water for ad-seg (August 2007)
- Abuso en SHU (August 2007)
- Snitch or be locked down (July 2007)
- Thrown in segregation in Colorado (July 2007)
- Maryland max unit on lockdown (May 2007)
- No useful education in the hole (May 2007)
- Isolation cell in Kansas (April 2007)
- Locked in SHU after release date, still fighting (December 2006)
- Shutting down Control Units and the World Revolution (October 2005)
- UNLOCK THE BOX! CONFERENCE BUILDS STRUGGLE TO SHUT DOWN CONTROL UNITS (October 2005)
- U.S. Prisons Prove Maddening (June 2005)
- An Alternative to the SHU (June 2005)
- Washington IMU repression (July 2004)
- Corruption and Retaliation in New York (June 2004)
- Repression in OK SHU (May 2004)
- Intensive Management Units: Behavior Modification or Psychological Subjugation? (May 2004)
- NY SHU full of Non-violent convictions (April 2004)
- Wastelands: prison control units (March 2004)
- OR prisoner locked down/fined for not making bed (October 2003)
- IMU in Oregon (August 2003)
- Resistance from within Management Control Units (April 2003)
- Illinois: Down with Menard's seg quota (June 2002)
- New York SHU's repress oppressed nation orgs (May 2002)
- Indiana prisoners fight SHU (February 2002)
- A brief history of Marion (January 2001)
- "A SuperMax in every state!" Torture technology advances in (November 1999)
- Control unit treats men like meat (October 1999)
- Torture in Red Onion Control Unit (March 1999)
- New Ohio Harassment Policy (October 1998)
- Oppressing Latino's In Mass (April 1998)
- Exposing New Gang Units in New Jersey (April 1998)
- SEGREGATION SHUFFLE (July 1997)
- OLD DEATH ROW = NEW CONTROL UNIT ALERT!!! (June 1997)
- THE STG PHENOMENON (May 1997)
- Prisoner in Massachusetts exposes isolation (May 1996)
- Control Units: Department of Corrections targets politically conscious prisoners with technology that tortures (January 1996)
- A History of Amerikkka's Oppressive Control Units (October 1995)
- WESTVILLE'S MAXIMUM CONTROL COMPLEX (February 1995)