RELEASE BRADLEY MAXWELL FROM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN VIRGINIA!

Bradley Maxwell, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has spent most of the last 15 years in “segregation” (solitary confinement) in Virginia prisons.  For the first 10½ years, he was kept in solitary confinement because he refused to cut his hair for religious reasons.  

Most recently, he has been in isolation continuously since October 4, 2015, without an explanation of the duration of his isolation or how much longer it will continue.  This is inconsistent with international human rights standards and the Justice Department’s January 2016 guidelines for the use of “restrictive housing.” 

We urge the Virginia Department of Corrections to either: (1) ensure that Bradley Maxwell is immediately released from segregation, or (2) provide him with a clear and complete explanation of why he cannot be immediately released from segregation, along with a path and a timeline for him to transfer to a less restrictive environment.