The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock’s social justice committee is continuing its initiatives on ending the practice of solitary confinement on Monday with a reading of a play that takes place through the eyes of a prisoner in isolation.
The congregation is hosting author Julia Steele Allen for a reading of “Mariposa & the Saint,” which she co-authored with Sara (Mariposa) Fonseca. A discussion and workshop about solitary confinement is set to take place following the reading.
“Mariposa & the Saint” was conceived through letters between Allen and Fonseca, who has remained in solitary confinement for more than three years after receiving an initial 15-month sentence in insolation in 2012.
Shelter Rock officials said the play is “urgent, emotional and profound.”
The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Congregation officials have requested attendees make a $5 donation.
Shelter Rock congregants have supported various initiatives in the last year aimed at raising awareness about solitary confinement and curtailing the practice in New York State.
According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, approximately 4,500 prisoners across the state live in solitary confinement.
In March 2013, the congregation hosted a roundtable event with three speakers who shared their experiences with solitary confinement, either by being placed in isolation or coping with their loved ones being imprisoned.
That May, congregants joined advocates in Albany to lobby state lawmakers to pass legislation preventing inmates from spending more than 15 consecutive days in isolation and 20 total days within a 60-day period.
Congregants in June held a demonstration outside the county Correctional Facility in East Meadow, protesting its incarceration practices.
In December, in wake of incidents in Staten Island and Ferguson, Mo., the congregation analyzed allegations of police brutality and the targeted mass incarceration of minorities.
