The Southern Center for Human Rights is demanding better treatment and conditions for people incarcerated at the Lee Arrendale State Prison in Georgia, where advocates say people who have just given birth are being shackled or placed in solitary confinement in violation of state and federal law. In a letter to the prison’s warden, the group says people have described being placed in solitary within days of giving birth, sometimes without being able to change out of the bloodied clothing they wore during childbirth. The group also warns of using solitary confinement to detain people who’ve contracted COVID-19 — who are often held in filthy cells with malfunctioning plumbing, insufficient water and personal hygiene products.
