In a resolution that could have wide effects, California’s prison system has agreed to change how it handles solitary confinement — and to review the cases of nearly 3,000 prisoners who are currently in solitary. The changes are part of the terms of a newly settled class-action lawsuit.
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LOS ANGELES — California has agreed to an overhaul of the use of solitary confinement in its prisons, including strict limits on the prolonged isolation of inmates, as part of a landmark legal settlement filed in federal court on Tuesday.
The settlement is expected to sharply reduce the number of inmates held in the state’s isolation units, where nearly 3,000 inmates are often kept alone for more than 22 hours a day in cells that sometimes have no windows, and cap the length of time prisoners can spend there. Prison reform advocates say they hope the settlement will serve as a model for other states.
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Here is the link to the event: http://clinics.law.harvard.edu/plap/event/a-conversation-with-jules-lobel-public-service-litigation-solitary-confinement/
President Obama spent time at El Reno Federal Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison near Oklahoma City that is home to 1,045 male inmates. The stop was part of his campaign to reform the criminal justice system, which includes several policies aimed at life inside the nation’s prisons, including addressing the practice of placing inmates in solitary confinement, changing sentencing guidelines to better reflect the severity of crimes, and implementing programs aimed at helping ex-offenders re-acclimate to life on the outside.
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