Spencer Woodman, Author at The Intercept

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) heads to a meeting at the White House in Washington, Jan. 2, 2019. President Donald Trump was set for a first face-to-face meeting with Democratic leaders since saying that he would proudly own the consequences of a government shutdown. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times)

The War on Immigrants

New Senate Bill Would Curtail ICE's "Unnecessary Overuse of Solitary Confinement”

The bill is the first legislation prompted by an ICIJ and Intercept investigation into ICE’s rampant misuse of solitary confinement.

The War on Immigrants

40 Percent of ICE Detainees Held in Solitary Confinement Have a Mental Illness, New Report Finds

Spencer Woodman, Maryam Saleh

- Aug. 14

The report from the Project on Government Oversight builds on an ICIJ and Intercept investigation into ICE’s widespread use of solitary confinement.

The War on Immigrants

Thousands of Immigrants Suffer in Solitary Confinement in ICE Detention

Spencer Woodman, Maryam Saleh, Hannah Rappleye, Karrie Kehoe

- May. 21

Locked for weeks or months in solitary cells, mentally ill and vulnerable detainees are plagued by anxiety, anger, depression, and suicidal impulses.

Mansfield, MA -- 05/09/2019 -- Ellen Gallagher poses for a portrait during a walk in a park near her home on May 8, 2019, in Mansfield, Massachusetts. She walked through this park almost every day over the last 4.5 years, while engaged in the process of bringing the information about immigration detainment to light. She would often sit on a rock during the walk to think, process, and sometimes pray about the issue, and the part she plays in the situation. (Kayana Szymczak for The Intercept)

The War on Immigrants

A Homeland Security Whistleblower Goes Public About ICE Abuse of Solitary Confinement

Maryam Saleh, Spencer Woodman

- May. 21

Ellen Gallagher's yearslong effort to draw attention to ICE's use of solitary confinement was met with a maze of bureaucratic indirection and indifference.

FILE - In this April 13, 2009, file photo, an employee waits at the front gate of the Stewart Detention Facility, a Corrections Corporation of America immigration facility in Lumpkin, Ga. CCA, the largest contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reached a preliminary agreement in May, 2010, to soften confinement, free of charge, at nine immigrant facilities covering more than 7,100 beds. ICE officials see the deal, which includes Stewart, as a precursor to changes elsewhere. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback, File)

The War on Immigrants

Immigrant Detainee Called ICE Help Line Before Killing Himself in Isolation Cell

Spencer Woodman, José Olivares

- Oct. 8

Jeancarlo Alfonso Jimenez-Joseph repeatedly brought his suicidal thoughts to the attention of officials at a private ICE detention center run by CoreCivic.

The entrance to Stewart Detention Center, a privately-run immigration detention center, on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. Photo by Kevin D. Liles for The Marshall Project

The War on Immigrants

Immigrant Detainee Accuses ICE Contractor CoreCivic of Locking Him in Solitary Over $8

Ryan Devereaux, Spencer Woodman

- Apr. 19

Arafat Hasan Riad's account is just the latest accusation against CoreCivic for using solitary confinement to manage its detainee labor program.

LUMPKIN, GA - MAY 4: The Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The War on Immigrants

ICE Contractor Says It Doesn’t Use Solitary Confinement. Photos of Its Isolation Cells Reveal Otherwise.

Spencer Woodman

- Mar. 22

The photos are from an investigation into the death of an ICE detainee who hanged himself inside an isolation cell in a CoreCivic-run detention center.

BOSTON - OCTOBER 12: Harvard University and Harvard Business School announced that they received a $40 million gift from a Doctor James S. C. Chao, and Family Foundation in tribute to the life and legacy of the late Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, the beloved matriarch of the prominent Chinese-American family. The Chao family is the only one in the history of the school to have had four daughters attend the Harvard Business School. A photo session after the press conference. The five remaining children of Dr. Chao and his late wife, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, four of which attended Harvard Business School. Standing far left, is Angela. In back row is Christine who did not attend, May, and Grace. Sitting next to her father is the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, United States Secretary of Labor from 2001 to 2009 and the first Asian-American woman ever appointed to the President's cabinet in American History. Doctor James S. C. Chao is seated next to portrait of his late wife. (Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Global Shipping Business Tied to Mitch McConnell, Secretary Elaine Chao Shrouded in Offshore Tax Haven

Lee Fang, Spencer Woodman

- Feb. 5

The Paradise Papers reveal that Trump’s Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Sen. Mitch McConnell have more ties to tax havens than previously known.

In this Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 photo, the shadow of a Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice correctional officer is cast as he leaves a training facility following a graduation from the Sergeants Academy, in Forsyth, Ga. Internal investigations have found that proper procedures were routinely ignored at some Georgia juvenile detention facilities, and the recently departed commissioner launched a series of investigations that led to numerous firings and suspensions for employee misconduct. While constant turnover in top leadership has inevitably caused some instability, that's not the root of the department's problems, say current and former leaders in the department, as well as outside observers. More problematic, they say, are budget cuts that, among other things, make it hard to attract and train employees qualified to deal with young offenders who often have violent tendencies. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The War on Immigrants

Private Prison Continues to Send ICE Detainees to Solitary Confinement for Refusing Voluntary Labor

Spencer Woodman

- Jan. 11

CoreCivic officials in rural Georgia locked an immigrant ICE detainee in solitary confinement as punishment for encouraging other detainees to stop working.

Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit enter the offices of Agiltron in Woburn, Massachusetts, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Agiltron describes itself as providing clients with "optical communication and sensing solutions" on the company website. Photographer: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The War on Immigrants

Leaked ICE Guide Offers Unprecedented View of Agency’s Asset Forfeiture Tactics

Ryan Devereaux, Spencer Woodman

- Oct. 13

An internal “Asset Forfeiture Handbook” instructs ICE agents on how to appraise property before seizing it.

Spencer Woodman

Contacts:

Posts:

New Senate Bill Would Curtail ICE's "Unnecessary Overuse of Solitary Confinement”

40 Percent of ICE Detainees Held in Solitary Confinement Have a Mental Illness, New Report Finds

Thousands of Immigrants Suffer in Solitary Confinement in ICE Detention

A Homeland Security Whistleblower Goes Public About ICE Abuse of Solitary Confinement

Immigrant Detainee Called ICE Help Line Before Killing Himself in Isolation Cell

Immigrant Detainee Accuses ICE Contractor CoreCivic of Locking Him in Solitary Over $8

ICE Contractor Says It Doesn’t Use Solitary Confinement. Photos of Its Isolation Cells Reveal Otherwise.

Global Shipping Business Tied to Mitch McConnell, Secretary Elaine Chao Shrouded in Offshore Tax Haven

Private Prison Continues to Send ICE Detainees to Solitary Confinement for Refusing Voluntary Labor

Leaked ICE Guide Offers Unprecedented View of Agency’s Asset Forfeiture Tactics