Death row inmates sue over isolation
they are not allowed to participate in any communal religious worship.
“These restrictions, taken in [total], deprive death-sentenced prisoners of virtually all meaningful human contact. Indeed, on weekdays when no exercise is permitted and on most weekends, a few words exchanged with an officer as a food tray is delivered or removed may be the only human contact that a deathsentenced prisoner experiences — if he experiences even that,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit cites extensive research that shows that solitary confinement for any lengthy period of time can cause “substantial physical, mental and emotional harm” and can cause a decline in inmates’ cognitive capacities and ability to communicate effectively.
“Solitary confinement is psychological torture,” Mr. Walczak said. “No human being should be placed in a cage and deprived of human contact for days, much less decades.”
According to the complaint, it is DOC policy for all inmates on death row to be held in a solitary-like setting, no matter their behavior in prison. The lawsuit argues that inmates should be classified based on their prior prison disciplinary history and age, not just on their sentence.
Several states, according to the complaint, have integrated death-sentenced prisoners into general population or allowed them additional time in a group setting without additional risk of violence. Those who have done so include Delaware, Colorado, California, North Carolina and Missouri.
The Pennsylvania DOC, in a statement issued Thursday, wrote that it has “undertaken initiatives to reduce violence in its prisons and thereby reduce the use of segregated housing. As part of the department’s 2018 administrative segregation restructuring measures, the department is already undertaking changes that will allow more out-ofcell time in capital case housing units.
“Currently, all inmates with serious mental illnesses in restricted housing, including capital case inmates, are allowed additional time out of their cells for therapeutic treatment services,” the statement said.
However, according to the complaint, attorneys for the ACLU wrote to corrections officials last year to try to change the housing status of death row inmates but were told DOC would continue following its policy.
“We stand by the description of conditions in the complaint,” Mr. Walczak said. “Whatever the DOC may be doing is either in the planning or not-yet-operational stage. Any lessening of restrictions is welcome, but this is one of the most severe systems of isolation in the country so they’ve got a long way to go.”