Solitary Confinement in the News 

Prolonged use of solitary confinement for prisoners with serious mental illness and intellectual disabilities is unconstitutional and violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division says.

In Pennsylvania, the heart of solitary confinement reform, an intellectually disabled inmate says he’s been held in wretched isolation for 36 years.

The ACLU reached a settlement in its class action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that allows death row inmates to be held in the same manner as general population inmates, the ACLU announced Monday.

Protesters gather outside the State Department of Corrections' headquarters in a show of support for inmates on a hunger strike.

Chris Kimmenez spent six months in solitary confinement in prison. It’s been 20 years since then and he still has nightmares. Today, he’s a pastor a Lombard Central Presbyterian in West Philadelphia. Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

Solitary confinement can affect brain activity within hours. People who experience the isolation can deteriorate and, especially for those with mental illness, the effects can be profound and even irreversible. Panic attacks, PTSD and depression are possible for years after a stint in solitary, where inmates are alone and confined to a cell for 22 to 24 hours a day.