In 2021, Washington's Department of Corrections committed to ending solitary confinement as a form of punishment. However, isolation remains prevalent in state prisons under the guise of "administrative" reasons, The Washington State Standard reports. A 400-page June report from the Office of the Corrections Ombuds, the independent investigations office for the Department of Corrections was requested by state lawmakers, who are considering ways to reduce or end solitary confinement. The report found over 3,000 inmates who had served more than 120 days in solitary confinement or were held in solitary for more than 45 days from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. In 2023, the Department of Corrections pledged to cut solitary confinement 90% in five years and said it has “reduced the use of solitary confinement by approximately 50% since its peak in 2008.” The agency disagrees with the Office of Corrections Ombuds’ definition of solitary.
The report notes the Department of Corrections defines solitary confinement as “restrictive housing where the individual is confined to a single-occupancy cell for more than 20 hours a day without meaningful human contact, out-of-cell activities, or opportunities to congregate” and acknowledges that these conditions “exist within restrictive housing areas such as…Administrative Segregation Units or other isolated settings within prisons.” Using administrative segregation for people awaiting disciplinary action is essentially using solitary confinement as a punishment, said Rachael Seevers of Disability Rights Washington. The most common reason a person is put in solitary confinement is for refusing a housing assignment, making up 36% of initial segregation placements. Other reasons include “threat to orderliness of facility” — which includes a broad range of reasons including COVID-19 infection, awaiting medical treatment and refusing staff instructions — contraband, and violence. The Department of Corrections said people may also refuse housing assignments because they “feel safe only in restrictive housing settings” or “prefer to be assigned to or remain in restrictive housing to avoid confrontations,” especially if they’re nearing release and want to ensure they don’t get in trouble again.
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