By Daniela Altimari
The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. — The number of male inmates held in solitary confinement in Connecticut has fallen over the past year, as officials here and around the nation rethink the practice of holding prisoners in isolation for prolonged periods.
A study released this week by the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School and the Association of State Correctional Administrators found that 70 men, or 0.5 percent of the overall male inmate population in Connecticut, were held in administrative segregation in 2013. As of Sept. 1 of this year, that number was 54, according to the Department of Correction.
During that same period, the number of female inmates in solitary confinement fell from four to zero.
The decline in the number of inmates housed in isolation in Connecticut is even more striking when looked at over a longer period. A similar study conducted in 2011 listed 158 male inmates in solitary confinement, presenting nearly 1 percent of the prison population.
Connecticut had a far lower rate of solitary confinement than many other jurisdictions surveyed for the study. Arkansas reported the highest percentage of male prisoners in “administrative segregation,” or solitary confinement: 7.5 percent of the male custodial population or 1,026 prisoners out of inmate population of 13,703.
The survey provides a useful measure of how Connecticut compares with other states, said Karen Martucci, acting director of external affairs for the Department of Correction. “We are headed in the right direction,’' she said. “Our numbers have decreased.”
Inmates in Connecticut are placed in solitary confinement if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves, other inmates or correction officers, Martucci said.
Increasingly, states are rethinking the practice of isolating prisoners for extended periods. Of the 41 jurisdictions surveyed, 26 had made changes to their administrative segregation policies over the past three years, focusing mainly on reducing the level of prisoner isolation and placing inmates in less restrictive environments.
Several states, notably Colorado, have stopped placing mentally ill inmates in long-term isolation units. And on Tuesday, California settled a landmark legal challenge by agreeing to overhaul policies regarding solitary confinement.