The human rights group Amnesty International has issued a report saying that Arizona’s state prisons overuse solitary confinement in cruel, inhumane ways, especially for mentally ill prisoners and juveniles as young as 14. The report says that Arizona prisons use solitary confinement as a punishment more than most other states and the federal government.
Amnesty found that some inmates are held in solitary confinement for months and sometimes years. It calls for Arizona to use the practice only as a last resort and only for a short duration. It also asks that the practice not be used against children or prisoners who are mentally ill.
Amnesty found that 35% of inmates in maximum security were committed for non-violent crimes.The report mentions cases of inmates who have been in solitary confinement continuously for 15 years.
The Arizona Republic reports that last July, Corrections officials declined to meet with Amnesty representatives from London who were visiting Arizona.
The Amnesty International report says that out of the 37 cases of suicide between October 2005 and April 2011 in which it was able to collect information, 60% took place in maximum-custody solitary units. There have been at least eight more suicides and 16 other deaths since April 2011 that the Corrections Department only describes as “under investigation.”
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