And here in New York, state lawmakers have approved a bill that would bar holding seriously mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement. Under the measure, the prisoners will now be transferred to secure treatment facilities rather than kept in twenty-four-hour solitude. The measure caps a four-year campaign by mental health and prisoner advocates. They’ve argued that solitary confinement of mentally ill prisoners is inhumane and has led to increased suicides and declining mental health.
New York Ends Solitary Confinement of Mentally Ill Prisoners
HeadlineJan 16, 2008