OLYMPIA, Wash. – Solitary confinement is still “widely used” in Washington prisons, despite an agency promise to reduce its use over the next five years.
That’s according to a report released Thursday by the Office of the Corrections Ombudsman.
State lawmakers created the agency in 2018 to resolve complaints against the Department of Corrections and to identify problems within the system.
The new report is the second of three that the OCO will produce.
Among the findings:
More that 3,000 people were housed in solitary/restrictive housing for more than four months in 2023OCO received 522 complaints related to the use of solitary confinement in 2022 and 2023Solitary confinement is still widely used, not limited to serious infractions and applied subjectivelyThe youngest inmate placed in solitary confinement was 20 years old; the oldest was 90176 people held in solitary confinement over the past decade attempted suicide. 14 of them died
The OCO report points out that 97% of inmates will ultimately be released from prison, saying that “the use of solitary confinement makes re-entry difficult.”
In the report, it details which facilities generate the most complaints related to solitary confinement.
The Washington State Penitentiary had the most complaints at 88. There were 23 complaints from the Airway Heights Corrections Center and nine from Coyote Ridge in Connell.
The report details mental health impacts of solitary confinement, based on interviews with incarcerated individuals.
They reported feeling sensory deprivation, idleness and a lack of social engagement as contributing to the long-term impacts on their mental health.
They mention, for example, lights being left on for up to 24 hours at a time or being turned off completely for long stretches.
The report said “Interviewees said that being in solitary confinement for extended periods of time felt like getting locked in a box.”
Interviewees described the use of things like shackles, spit hoods, tasers and restraints, which the report describes as “dehumanizing.”
Lawmakers will now review the report and the third of three that will come out later this year. That report will examine solutions and a suggested path forward for DOC.
In the report it says that multiple bills in the legislature have aimed at reducing the practice of solitary confinement, but none have been passed.
As to why inmates are placed in solitary confinement, the report describes the reasons and rules as being inconsistent.
Some inmates said they aren’t even made aware of why they’re placed in solitary confinement; they also cited “out-of-state transfer protocols” as something that keeps people in solitary confinement for extended periods of time.
Disability Rights Washington has called for a ban on long-term solitary confinement in the state. The group says people of color and people with disabilities are disproportionately placed in “these barbaric conditions.”
You can watch a news conference on the release of the report at this link.
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