Tamms Year Ten Campaigns

By Ali Trachta in Miscellaneous on Apr 18, 2008 4:15PM

Of all the causes to get behind, it’s not often we hear about activists fighting for prisoners’ rights. But that’s the purpose of The Sewing Rebellion’s + Tamms Year Ten event, taking place this Sunday.

This gathering is one of a handful taking place next week that aims to draw attention to the inhumane conditions at the Tamms C-MAX prison in southern Illinois, in which prisoners are kept in constant solitary confinement. Originally built to serve as one-year "shock treatment" for violent criminals, close to 100 of its inmates have been incarcerated there for 10 years. Prisoners are kept in small cement rooms for 23 hours a day with no group activity, no phone calls, no education or rehabilitation programs and no interaction with others. Members of the Tamms Year Ten coalition intend to drum up awareness of their cause before the legislative hearings in front of the House Prison Reform Committee of the Illinois General Assembly on April 28th, in which the effectiveness and legality of Tamms will be evaluated.

At the sewing event, activists will be stitching patches, banners and the like to be worn at the public action taking place before the hearings. Year Ten will also be holding a tradeshow next Thursday and Friday night to raise funds, as well as an educational seminar taught by former Tamms prisoners next Saturday. To learn more about Tamms and Year Ten, click here.

The Sewing Rebellion’s + Tamms Year Ten, 6932 N. Glenwood, Sunday, noon - 4:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Tamms Year Ten.