U.N. expert calls state’s use of solitary confinement psychological torture.

Hartford — An expert on torture with the United Nations is calling out the use of solitary confinement as punishment in Connecticut prisons and equating the practice to psychological torture.

Nils Melzer, special rapporteur on torture for the U.N., criticized Friday the use of solitary confinement in the United States but specifically mentioned Connecticut’s Department of Correction’s practices.

“The DOC appears to routinely resort to repressive measures, such as prolonged or indefinite isolation, excessive use of in-cell restraints and needlessly intrusive strip searches,” Melzer said in the statement. “There seems to be a State-sanctioned policy aimed at purposefully inflicting severe pain or suffering, physical or mental, which may well amount to torture.”

He added that the alleged practices can trigger and exacerbate psychological suffering, especially those who may have experienced previous trauma or have mental health conditions or psychosocial disabilities.

Karen Martucci, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Correction, said in an email the department’s policy around administrative segregation — or solitary confinement — does allow for meaningful engagement through group programming, recreation, family social visits, phone calls and interactions with counselors and clinicians.

“The Department of Correction has been amongst the top states in the county to rely the least on utilizing AS,” she wrote in an email. “There is a high threshold for placement typically involving a significant act of violence jeopardizing the safety of others .... the agency continuously reviews policy, to include restrictive status, to make enhancements.”

Hope Metcalf, who teaches at the Allen K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School, said the comments were in response to a report their group sent to the U.N. about the use of solitary confinement at Northern Correctional with testimony from people incarcerated inside.

“On behalf of the clinic we are grateful that the U.N . ... recognizes the seriousness of these violations and responded to the men who were brave enough to step forward,” she said.