Solitary confinement for Capitol rioters becomes an issue

 Washington Examiner:

Many participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots are being held in solitary confinement in Washington, D.C.'s city jail, a situation that's drawing scrutiny from Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Department of Justice has charged 510 individuals in connection with the Jan. 6 breach, which began when supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol with the intent of trying to stop the certification of Electoral College votes for Joe Biden as president.

After Jan. 6, Washington, D.C., jail officials decided that all Capitol riot detainees be held in “restrictive housing” as a safety measure for the accused. However, the accused found themselves in solitary confinement 23 hours a day before their trials even started.

"I do not believe in solitary confinement for extended periods of time for anyone,” Warren, a Massachusetts senator and former Harvard Law School professor, said of the Jan. 6 rioters when asked by the Washington Examiner.

Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, who says he wants to look into the issue further said, “Obviously, in any instance, I think solitary confinement is concerning.” Republicans also objected to the treatment of the jailed Jan. 6 rioters.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has recently drawn criticism for favoring liberal causes over its tradition of representing unsympathetic clients and causes, is also weighing in on the side of Trump protesters being held alone.

"Prolonged solitary confinement is torture and certainly should not be used as a punitive tool to intimidate or extract cooperation. We're pleased to see that message is getting through to Senators," Tammie Gregg, deputy director of the ACLU National Prison Project, told the Washington Examiner in a statement.

...

I think they have a point.  I suspect they are doing it to sweat confessions out of them because their cases are otherwise pretty weak.  There is no evidence that rioters were armed with firearms or large knives.  While there were some deaths during the disturbance none of the rioters are accused of causing them to my knowledge.  Most of them were deemed "natural causes" except for a woman shot by Capitol police.  Her family is suing over her death.

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