Everyday thousands of humans and millions of nonhumans endure solitary confinement. Human prisoners held in this way are confined for 22 to 24 hours a day for weeks, months, or even years on end in cells the size of a parking space. For these humans, the experience is tortuous. Captive animals held in solitary confinement similarly spend much of their lives locked into tiny spaces, isolated, and deprived of the types of interactions and environment essential to their wellbeing. And, like humans, they are driven mad. In human and nonhuman settings, the agony of solitary is chillingly alike and harmful. And, in neither setting is it justifiable or necessary.
In their article, Powerless Beings: Solitary Confinement of Humans and Non Humans in America, published in Nebraska Law Review, Haub Law Professors Michael Mushlin and David Cassuto use a comparative format to examine the moral, penological and scientific shortcomings of solitary confinement across species. The article sheds light on the importance of empowering all creatures subjected to solitary confinement. “If we adequately protect all vulnerable beings, the unnecessary suffering inflicted by solitary confinement will finally end,” they write.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to announce that five renowned environmental scholars and practitioners will join the Law School as Haub Visiting Scholars. These distinguished scholars – Sam Bookman, Monika Ehrman, Marianne Engelman-Lado, Douglas Kysar, and Jim Salzman – will bring their expertise to Pace through guest lectures, faculty collaboration, and working with students in the Environmental Law Program and beyond.
Executive Director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center, Cindy J. Kanusher, powerfully addressed President Trump’s dismissive remarks about domestic violence in a widely shared statement featured in The Independent. “Domestic violence is not a private matter or a misunderstanding. It is abuse. It is a crime. And it must be treated with the seriousness it demands,” she said. Kanusher emphasized that minimizing these crimes sends a dangerous message to victims, potentially silencing them and impeding justice. Her remarks have added critical legal and moral context to the media backlash around the issue.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law Professor Bennett Gershman writes a piece in the New York Law Journal examining whether Donald Trump or Jeffrey Epstein had any contact with the Florida U.S. Attorney who brokered Epstein’s controversial plea deal 17 years ago, raising critical questions about influence, power, and accountability.