The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee on Social Justice and United States Policy presented its Report #7 on Resolution D029 and moved adoption with amendment.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D029)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church reaffirm the statement of the 76th General Convention, in resolution 2009-C020, condemning the use of torture “by the United States and any government, individual, or organization in any location in the world;” and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church recognize prolonged solitary confinement (defined by the United Nations in its Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, as revised in 2015, also known as “The Nelson Mandela Rules,” as the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact, in excess of 15 days) as a form of torture; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church condemn the use of prolonged solitary confinement by the United States and any government in the world, including national, state, local, and military jurisdictions, immigration detention centers, and private prisons; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention call upon all Episcopalians, recalling the words of Jesus that when we visit those in prison, we are visiting him (Matthew 25:36), and the call of the Apostle Paul to “Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured” (Hebrews 13:3), to demand that their governments end any use of prolonged solitary confinement in their prisons, jails, and detention centers, whether publicly run or contracted with private companies.

Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church reaffirm the statement of the 76th General Convention, in resolution 2009-C020, condemning the use of torture “by the United States and any government, individual, or organization in any location in the world;” and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church recognize prolonged solitary confinement (defined by the United Nations in its Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, as revised in 2015, also known as “The Nelson Mandela Rules,” as the confinement of prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact, in excess of 15 days) as a form of torture; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church condemn the use of prolonged solitary confinement by the United States and any government in the world, including national, state, local, and military jurisdictions, immigration detention centers, and private prisons and call on our government to look at alternatives to isolated confinement; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention call upon all Episcopalians, recalling the words of Jesus that when we visit those in prison, we are visiting him (Matthew 25:36), and the call of the Apostle Paul to “Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured” (Hebrews 13:3), to demand that their governments end any use of prolonged solitary confinement in their prisons, jails, and detention centers, whether publicly run or contracted with private companies and raise our voice with human rights groups.

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #67)