THOMSON, Ill. (AP) - Dozens of activists have walked 150 miles to a federal prison in northwestern Illinois to protest solitary confinement.
Sauk Valley Media reports (https://bit.ly/1rjP9T5 ) about 50 protesters with the Chicago-based Voices for Creative Nonviolence ended their walk from Chicago to the village of 600 residents Saturday. They started their walk May 28, logging up to 19 miles daily.
The group says it opposes U.S. prison practices including putting prisoners in isolation cells.
Organizer Buddy Bell is pushing for Illinois legislation to limit solitary confinement to five days in any 150-day period and prohibit it for some prisoners, including those younger than 21.
The maximum security Thomson is expected to be fully operational next year.
Prison officials didn’t immediately return a request for comment Sunday.
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The legislation is HB5417.
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Information from: Dixon Telegraph, https://www.saukvalley.com
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