WELCOME to the Metro New York Religious Campaign Against Torture (MNYRCAT).

A chapter of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, our local group is currently (2013) working to:

• Promote public education, including discussion  of religious values and human rights perspectives concerning  mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo and in the USA and the   increasing use of Solitary Confinement throughout the nation.
• Amplify the advocacy work of the national  office, through promotion of “Torture in Our Backyard” a 20 minute  film about the estimated 80,000 men and women in US. solitary confinement every day ; and through petitions regarding Maher Arar and NYS legislation.
• Build Partnerships for public action & to pass legislation on local & national levels.
• Mobilize diverse congregations and communities, though partnership and participation  in local events as well as organizing activities directly addressing torture and ill treatment.

SPRING ACTIVITIES–2013

MNYRCAT members have been actively partnering with CAIC and Stop Solitary campaigns to limit the use of Solitary Confinement in New York State. Members have joined prison visits, rallies and visits to the State Legislature. On April 21 2013 we co-sponsored a discussion after a showing of Herman’s House, an excellent film about a African American man in solitary for 40 years, and his relationship to a female New York Artist. We would like to enhance our work on solitary confinement with more partnering with prisoners’ rights organizations. On Jun 11 2013 we plan a discussion and action event around related issues at Rutger’s Church– please hold the date!

FALL ACTIVITIES–2012

MNYRCAT – Metropolitan New York Religious Campaign Against Torture is planning Human Rights Day activities over three days this year in order to reach diverse stakeholders. For more information about this year’s December events, please see this page of our website.

This fall, MNYRCAT also organized a well attended panel discussion October 17, 2012 at 6:30 PM at All Souls Church (1157 Lexington Avenue near 80^th Street) concerning “Solitary Confinement: New York’s Hidden Problem.” This important discussion included representatives of the religious, legal, and prison communities focusing on inhumane policies and inhuman conditions within New York State Prisons, especially the use of solitary confinement and its impact on prisoners. See: MNYRCAT Flier and also see  excerpts.

JUNE 2012 Anti Torture Month Activities

MNYRCAT strongly encourages community groups to show the film Torture in Our Backyard and is available to go facilitate other showings and discussions in May and June. It would be great if we could be in all neighborhoods to impact the conversation and to link this issue with other social justice concerns. As you know there are actually pro-torture voices getting significant play in the public media including the New York Times (May 2012) and religious and values messaging is needed at all levels:

Previous Events 2011:

Torture in New York State Prisons?

Tuesday, June 21st at 7PM at Riverside Church

We hope you can join us Tuesday, June 21st at 7PM at Riverside Church for “Torture in New York State Prisons?”.  This important event will focus on conditions within New York State Prisons and the use of solitary confinement and its impact on prisoners.

Our first speaker, Mary Beth Pfeiffer, who writes for the Poughkeepsie Journal, has been an investigative reporter for 15 years and journalist for more than 30 years.  Mary Beth is author of “Crazy in America: The Hidden Tragedy of the Criminalized Mentally Ill” (Carroll & Graf, 2007), which grew out of reporting on the abuses of people with mental illness in New York State prisons.  Ms. Pfeiffer is a former Soros Justice Media Fellow and has won numerous awards for her work.  Her articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and other publications.

Our second speaker, Jack Beck has been the Director of the prison Visiting Project at the Correctional Association of New York.  The Correctional Association (CA) has statutory authority to inspect prisons in New York State and to report its findings to the legislature and public.  Mr. Beck will give us an overview of how solitary confinement is used in New York prisons as well as the administrative and legislative restrictions placed on its use.

Lastly, a person from the Riverside Church Prison Ministry program will give testimony about his experience within the New York State prison system.

We hope to see you at the event.

Sponsors:    MNYRCAT – Metropolitan NY Religious Campaign Against Torture

RHR-NA – Rabbis for Human Rights North America

MNYRCAT and RHR-NA are affiliates of NRCAT, the National

Religious Campaign Against Torture, Co-‐Sponsored by The Riverside Church Mission & Social Justice Ministry.

Contacts:   Patricia Chernoff patriciachernoff@verizon.net

Linda Rousseau  rousseaulinda@gmail.com

Support the Task Force on Detainee Treatment

The Constitution Project has created an independent, bi-partisan task force that will look at what happened to persons in detention as a result of the counterterrrorism policies of the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations. The Task Force will help policy makers and the public confront alleged past abuses – including torture and cruel treatment – by following the facts. NRCAT is working in collaboration with the Constitution Project to support this important endeavor and is hoping that the Task Force will hold public hearings around the country so that more persons will be involved and more persons will be informed.

NRCAT continues to call upon the Obama administration to support a non-partisan Commission of Investigation, with subpeona power, so that we will have a comprehensive reckoning of our nation’s involvement in torture. Go to www.nrcat.org to learn more.

Support the Optional Protocol Against Torture

(OPCAT)

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is asking individuals and religious organizations to endorse the call for the United States to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol Against Torture (OPCAT). The United States signed and ratifed the Convention Against Torture. OPCAT would require signatory nations to eliminate torture in all detention facilities within their territory from local jails to federal prisons. It would also allow international monitors to visit detention facilities to verify that no torture is occurring. Go to www.nrcat.org and endorse the call for the U.S. to sign and ratify OPCAT.