Report calls on Michigan prison system to sharply reduce its use of solitary confinement

February 16, 2021

Note from our offices: Solitary confinement should be illegal under almost all circumstances. It is inhumane and barbaric!

LANSING – A report to be released Tuesday calls on the Michigan Department of Corrections to significantly reduce its use of solitary confinement, saying that isolating prisoners makes mental health problems worse and contributes to prisoner deaths.

Citizens for Prison Reform, in a report titled “Solitary: The Family Experience,” calls on the department to use isolation “only if absolutely necessary” to protect the safety of prisoners and staff and to limit its use to no more than 15 days. The Lansing-based group also says the use of solitary confinement should end for vulnerable prisoners, including those with medical or mental health issues, those 21 or younger or over the age of 55, pregnant women and new mothers, and those who are LGBTQ.

Read more on the Detroit Free Press Website