We, the people of West Virginia and concerned citizens across the country, are calling for urgent reform to end the harmful and prolonged use of solitary confinement in our state.

Right now, individuals in West Virginia correctional facilities are being held in isolation for 22 or more hours a day, often for extended periods of time.

This practice causes:

Severe mental health deterioration

Increased risk of self-harm

Long-term trauma

Barriers to successful reentry

This is not rehabilitation. This is damage.

⚖️ A PATH FORWARD EXISTS

A proposed bill has already been placed in the hands of a West Virginia Senator, with the goal of introduction in the upcoming legislative session.

This proposal would:

✔ Limit solitary confinement to 15 consecutive days

✔ Prohibit its use for vulnerable populations

✔ Require meaningful oversight and review

✔ Promote rehabilitation and safer outcomes

✔ Align West Virginia with recognized human rights standards

📢 WE ARE CALLING ON WEST VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS TO:

Introduce and support this legislation

End prolonged solitary confinement practices

Prioritize rehabilitation, safety, and human dignity

🩵 WHY THIS MATTERS

People are more than the worst thing they’ve done.

People change.

And systems should reflect that.

Solitary confinement does not make our communities safer —

it makes healing harder.

✍️ ADD YOUR NAME

By signing this petition, you are standing for:

Human dignity

Safer communities

Real second chances

West Virginia — it’s time for change.

 

💔 KEITH’S STORY

Keith is not just an inmate.

He is someone I love.

He is someone who has been working to become better.

But like many in West Virginia, he has endured solitary confinement—

not for days… not for weeks…

For 13 years.

That means living in a cell 22–24 hours a day, with little to no human contact.

No real conversation.

No connection.

No normal sense of life.

Over time, that kind of isolation changes a person.

It creates:

• Deep mental and emotional strain

• Anxiety and hyper-awareness

• Difficulty trusting or interacting with others

• A constant state of survival instead of healing

I’ve seen the impact this kind of isolation has had on Keith.

And I’ve also seen who he is when he is given:

✔ Support

✔ Purpose

✔ Human connection

That’s when growth happens.

🩵 WHY THIS MATTERS

I’m not just speaking as an advocate—

I’m speaking as someone who loves a man who has lived through 13 years of isolation.

Solitary confinement does not rehabilitate.

It damages.

And then people are expected to return to society… carrying that damage.

📢 MY ASK

Keith’s story is not unique.

There are people across West Virginia experiencing this right now.

That’s why I’m calling for an end to prolonged solitary confinement

and for humane, evidence-based alternatives.

Because no one should be broken in the name of correction.