Steven Russell has been sentenced to 114 years in solitary confinement for nonviolent crimes. He has never harmed anyone. According to the United Nations, the treatment he is receiving qualifies as torture. He has been in 23 hour lock-up since 1998, and is now 65. He became eligible for parole in 2020, and I created this petition in an attempt to support his release on parole. Now that he is 65, I find it disheartening to see that he is still imprisoned, based on his circumstances and the reality of his crimes.  The UN declares that “The Mandela Rules, updated in 2015, are a revised minimum standard of UN rules that defines solitary confinement as "the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact." Solitary confinement may only be imposed in exceptional circumstances, and "prolonged" solitary confinement of more than 15 consecutive days is regarded as a form of torture.” This would mean that the treatment Steven is receiving qualifies as torture, which is a humiliation to the state of Texas, especially due to the fact that he is nonviolent. To mitigate this issue, I believe that releasing him on parole, and therefore putting an end to the cruel and unusual punishment would be an adequate solution.