House commission to study solitary confinement at ACI

June 17, 2016 3:42 pm

By: The Associated Press

news@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Rhode Island lawmakers have approved legislation that creates a House commission to study the use of solitary confinement in the state’s prison complex.

The 19-member panel will perform a comprehensive study of the use of solitary confinement at the Adult Correctional Institute, its effects, and alternatives and best practices used in other jurisdictions.

It will then report back to the full House in January. Providence Democrat Aaron Regunberg sponsored the move.

The use of solitary confinement has come under fire by the United Nations, which said its prolonged use amounts to torture. Some studies have found that long-term solitary confinement can produce psychological damage and be counterproductive.

The panel will include lawmakers, prisons professionals, a former inmate, as well as legal and mental health experts.