The promised report from Disability Rights Arkansas and DecARcerate on the use of solitary confinement in Arkansas prisons has been completed.
Key points that we touched on earlier:
It is another lamentable ranking in which Arkansas finishes first (last is more accurate) in a punishing practice that is applied prejudicially, worsens mental illness and is ineffective in improving safety in prisons. A lawsuit over the practice was unsuccessful, but there’s a need to continue to press the issue, no matter how stubborn moss-backed prison officials (and legislators) might be.
UPDATE: The Corrections Department replied Tuesday, Jan. 12, that the report took some material out of context and drew misleading connections. It also said in response: “Every SMI inmate has a mental health treatment plan. To say otherwise is inaccurate.”
