California officials on Tuesday announced an agreement to move thousands of prison inmates out of solitary confinement. The new policy comes after years of litigation by inmates held in isolation at Pelican Bay State Prison and other facilities.
Under the legal agreement, many of the inmates held in isolation will be moved to the general prison population. The state will create high-security units that keep its most dangerous inmates in a small group setting.
Why did this happen?
The decision to stop using solitary confinement to isolate prison gang members was triggered by a class-action lawsuit brought by inmates held a decade or more within Pelican Bay State Prison.