September 18, 2024
About
Solitary confinement reform is essential to improving conditions of incarceration for those in our care and custody, as well as our staff. Temporarily separating people from others who are incarcerated remains necessary at times, whether for investigative purposes, in response to violent incidents, due to risk for danger to self or others, or for max custody classification of individuals deemed too dangerous for general population. However, we also understand that solitary confinement, as it has traditionally been used, may have negative effects for those people experiencing it. Twenty-three hours of isolation per day, absent meaningful human contact accompanied with lack of programming, and the overall restrictive prison environment can contribute to mental health challenges and difficulty returning to the general population.
Funding is Essential for Progress
(Lukas D’Ambrosio, Communications Office)
In 2023, we announced plans to reduce solitary confinement by 90% over five years, dependent on funding from the legislature, and requested adequate funding to do so. While we did not get the full funding we requested, we were able to use the funding received to increase the number of custody staff at two separate facilities to help improve the number of hours of meaningful out of cell time. Those facilities have since been able to double the out of cell time to two hours per day, seven days a week. Additionally, we were able to increase the number of mental health staff to conduct evaluations for individuals who have been assigned to these settings for long periods of time. The evaluation results are used to help define needs an individual has so that we can provide cognitive behavioral intervention and mental health treatment. DOC has submitted a funding request for the 2025 legislative session so we can continue to progress.
DOC is proud of the efforts we have made to find ways to reduce the use of solitary confinement with the steps we have taken to increase out of cell time beyond the two hours a day we do now. We have increased meaningful time out of cell, provided opportunities to engage in education and programming, and offered computer tablets with education programs, phone call capabilities, video visiting and music, and added painted walls and murals to replace stark, white and gray brick walls.
The most important change we have made in these settings is how we engage with the people in our care and custody. We are using a public health strategy that is person centered and human rights driven that reduces debilitating health effects on residents and staff. These harm reducing strategies focus on building up incarcerated individuals’ personal strengths while helping identify areas for personal improvement. The incarcerated individual leaves with new tools for addressing challenges and obstacles in their life, and staff leave with a feeling of accomplishment. Together, these changes contribute to safer and more humane environments for our staff and those in our care and custody by helping incarcerated individuals learn new, positive behavior patterns.
Clarifying Terminology
It is important to clarify the terminology we use. You may have seen us share previously about the difference between restrictive housing and solitary confinement. A common misconception is that the use of the term restrictive housing is a way to avoid saying solitary confinement.
Restrictive housing refers to a housing assignment for incarcerated individuals who are either a danger to self, a danger to others, or who present an unacceptable risk to facility security. Folks in these settings will experience buildings with enhanced security and single-occupancy cells.
Solitary confinement, on the other hand, is a specific status, within a restrictive housing setting. It refers to the confinement of incarcerated individuals in a single-occupancy cell for more than 20 hours a day without meaningful human contact, out-of-cell activities, or opportunities to access common spaces.
This separation from general population does not need to be permanent, nor should it be used as a punishment. Simply put, it is a tool to provide for the safety of everyone in our care and custody and our staff. It is not our only tool, and it is one that we use as a last resort, when all other methods of maintaining a safe and secure environment are not an option.
Why Would Someone Need to be Separated?
Some instances where an incarcerated individual may temporarily require separation from the general population include:
- Their own safety and protection. Consider an incarcerated individual who is an active gang member and is being pressured within general population to commit violence. Incarcerated individuals in these situations can request to be separated from others and placed at their request into restrictive housing.
- Their behavior is dangerous to others. If an incarcerated individual engages in a fight or assault (in some cases with a weapon) with other inmates or staff, they must be temporarily separated to ensure the safety of everyone involved. This separation allows administrators to review the incident, gather all relevant facts, and make informed decisions about long-term housing that address safety concerns. This decision-making process continues until the individual responsible for the safety concern has gone through a period of programming and adjustment that addresses thinking errors that lead to the unsafe events.
Moving Forward
Within Washington prisons, we have been hard at work on these reforms for years. The Solitary Confinement Transformation Project (SCTP) (pdf) launched last year, and we now focus on prevention of violence, improved conditions of confinement, and preparing incarcerated individuals for reentry into general population. Our Washington Way programs, inspired by our partnership with Amend at UCSF, is training staff to safely intervene before and after individuals are placed in a restrictive housing setting or solitary confinement. These teams are focused on reducing isolation and safely transitioning individuals to lower security housing.
We know we have more work to do, and we are committed to continuous improvement on this critical issue. This year, we have requested 2.9 million dollars to once again ask the Legislature for support of these important reforms and look forward to using this funding to continue improving conditions and reducing reliance on solitary confinement, as we continue to build a more humane correctional system.
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