Eliza McDuffie

The Project

Eliza (she/her/hers) aimed to eradicate the use of solitary confinement for young people—particularly young people of color—incarcerated within the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Although federal prisons banned juvenile solitary in 2016, the practice continues in Georgia, almost exclusively affecting Black youth. While there have been legal efforts targeting the use of solitary in Georgia’s adult prisons and jails, Eliza’s project was the first to target juvenile solitary specifically. Hosted by the Southern Center for Human Rights, Eliza investigated this practice and brought strategic litigation to challenge it.

Eliza’s experience advocating for clients subjected to solitary confinement and her commitment to making Georgia better motivated her to fight against solitary confinement in its cruelest form—as applied to children, and disproportionately children of color.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Eliza:

• Compiled and submitted several comprehensive requests for documents from the Georgia Department of Corrections through Georgia’s Open Records Act
• Developed investigative skills by conducting at least 20 interviews with incarcerated people regarding their conditions of confinement
• Honed advocacy skills by advocating for improved conditions for numerous people currently detained in jail
• Connected with public defenders across the state to identify and get in touch with affected youth
• Started work on a comprehensive report detailing the use of solitary confinement across the state of Georgia, including the use of solitary confinement for youth incarcerated within the Georgia Department of Corrections
• Worked with community partners to identify affected clients and survivors of juvenile solitary
• Constructed and finalized a comprehensive report on the use of solitary confinement in Georgia
• Utilized the report in targeted legislative advocacy and media campaigns to spread awareness
• Worked towards legislation to curtail the cruel practice of solitary confinement for youth incarcerated in the Georgia Department of Corrections

Media