Just got off a conference call with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), where among many agenda items was legislative movement against solitary confinement in some state legislatures.
The most prominent right now is Colorado, as reported in The Colorado Independent, Legislators Take Aim at Solitary Confinement.
A bill to reduce the numbers of mentally ill and developmentally disabled prisoners in solitary confinement was introduced Monday by Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder.Working with the ACLU of Colorado, the pair say they want to improve treatment services to those inmates and help them become better integrated into society after incarceration.
The bill would ensure those individuals receive a health evaluation to determine if treatment is being properly provided to them while incarcerated and to determine if solitary confinement would exacerbate their condition, among other provisions.
SB 176 looks to address the findings of the 2008 Department of Corrections’ report, “Administrative Segregation for Mentally Ill Inmates.” The report found that 37 percent of those found in solitary confinement are mentally ill or developmentally disabled.
NRCAT has a fact sheet and action items at Solitary Confinement in Colorado - SB 176 (we're fer it).