Shoatz v. Wetzel and Commonwealth v. Shoatz
Russell Maroon Shoatz was a former Black Panther Party and Black Liberation army member who was sentenced to death-by-incarceration in 1972. He was also a teacher and mentor to countless people inside and outside prison, a survivor of more than 30 years aggregate solitary confinement, and a co-founder of the Human Rights Coalition.
At the time that the Shoatz v. Wetzel federal civil rights lawsuit was filed on May 08, 2013, Shoatz was 70-years-old and had been in solitary confinement at various PA state prisons for 22 consecutive years, and nearly 30 years in total. Shoatz was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, human rights advocate, and published author. During most of his time in solitary confinement, Shoatz had an impeccable disciplinary record, receiving only one misconduct for a rule violation when, in an attempt to stay warm, he covered a vent in his cell that was blowing cold air.
Shoatz v. Wetzel asserted that PA DOC officials were subjecting Shoatz to cruel and unusual punishment and violating his due process rights by continuing to subject him to solitary confinement due to the severe deprivations of basic human needs imposed on Shoatz, including mental health, environmental stimulation, social interaction, sleep, physical health, and exercise.
On January 27, 2014, a federal court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss. Shoatz was released from solitary confinement into the general prison population at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Graterford on February 20, 2014.
On February 12, 2016, the court denied motions for summary judgment and ordered a trial: the first in the country in a case challenging long-term solitary confinement.
In July 2016 a settlement was reached to bring an end to litigation. In exchange for Shoatz ending the lawsuit, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) agreed that it would not place Shoatz back in solitary confinement based on his prior disciplinary record or activities; Shoatz would have a single-cell status for life, meaning he would not have to experience the extreme hardship of being forced to share a cell following decades of enforced isolation; a full mental health evaluation would be provided; and the DOC paid a monetary settlement.
Parallel to the litigation, an international human rights campaign to demand Shoatz’s release from solitary, launched by his family and supporters, also gained widespread and high profile support. A Communication to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, was submitted, requesting that he inquire into Shoatz’s nearly 30 years of solitary confinement. (Mendez had issued a report in 2011 finding that solitary confinement longer than 15 days should be considered a violation of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.) In March 2013, Mendez, called on the U.S. government “to cease the prolonged isolation of Mr. Shoat[z].”
Shoatz’s plight generated widespread concern across the globe, and dozens of organizations and members of clergy endorsed the call for his release to the general prison population, as did Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor, Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Jody Williams of the United States, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel of Argentina.
In 2021, ALC filed a compassionate release petition in support of Shoatz. It was initially denied, but ALC petitioned a second time and in October 2021, that petition was granted. Maroon — who was sentenced to two DBI sentences and was once told by a DOC official he would die in solitary confinement — spent the last 52 days of his life with his family and in the presence of his community.