Massachusetts Prisoners Sent to Solitary After Meeting with State Legislators About Prison Reform
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Three men incarcerated in Massachusetts who were working with a prison reform caucus of state legislators have been thrown in solitary confinement, in an apparent retaliation against their activism and an attempt to disrupt further communications.
In the middle of the night on March 23, 52-year-old Timothy Muise, 44-year-old Shawn Fisher, and 39-year-old Steven James were taken from their cells at the medium-security prison MCI Shirley, handcuffed, and transported by van to three separate prisons spread across the state (Norfolk, Bridgewater, and Gardner), where they were placed in solitary confinement. Muise has since been moved to a different cell every 30 days, while Fisher and James have also been moved more than once.
The three did not receive their underwear or other basic belongings until 41 days after their midnight transfer. Since their placement in solitary confinement, the men’s communication abilities have been significantly curtailed, limited to two phone calls a week for 15 minutes, two one-hour non-contact visits a week, and writing letters.
Muise and Fisher are longtime advocates for prisoners’ rights and prison reform. In the past year, they have organized multiple meetings with the Legislative Harm Reduction Caucus, a coalition of 70 state legislators working to “address the root causes and symptoms of mass incarceration.” Speaking to Solitary Watch, Massachusetts representative Benjamin Swan, one of its leading members, called the caucus, “A group of progressive legislators who see the need for some reform in the criminal justice system and corrections as well.”
Muise and Fisher had organized meetings at MCI Shirley with caucus members and prisoners in October and February to discuss potential reform options. The two were in talks with the caucus to soon travel to the statehouse to testify before the Public Safety Committee.The October and February meetings were sanctioned by Shirley prison officials and attended by correctional staff. Though James was not present at the meetings, he has also been involved in the push for reform within Shirley, and is friends with Muise and Fisher.
The night that the three men were transferred and placed in solitary confinement, they were initially brought into separate interview rooms for questioning by investigators from the Department of Corrections. According to people close to the men, they were initially asked about their work with the legislative caucus, and the meaning of “Phases I, II, and III.” This referred to meetings with the caucus. The first two were the meetings in October and February. The third “phase,” which was still being planned, was to be the culmination of the prior two meetings, and would involve some of the incarcerated being brought to testify about prison conditions and possible reform solutions at the Massachusetts statehouse in Boston. After the phases were clarified, the investigating officers began to accuse the three men of an illegal “plot to build a computer.”
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