The End Of Long-Term Solitary Confinement

In recent years, isolation has become a more popular method of punishment in prison systems due to gang violence. Todd Ashker and Danny Troxell, inmates of Pelican Bay's secure housing unit (California), have filed a lawsuit to improve the conditions in solitary confinement as well as alter the time limit as to how long an inmate can be kept in solitary. The lawsuit argued that confinement after a certain amount of time was cruel and unusual punishment. The case ended with an agreement that 5 years is the maximum amount of time an inmate can be in the SHU, with the exception of gang members who can get up to 7. The state is trying to deal with the inmates without segregating them as much as well, so it has elected to create a non-solitary area for prisoners who have been in the SHU for 10 years or more. This new unit will give inmates access to phone calls, visitors, and educational classes.

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