"Even people who believe that prisons exist solely for punishment should not abide a system that forces prisoners with diagnosable mental illnesses to spend 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, where they grow crazier, more desperate and more dangerous by the day."
--editorial in The Boston Globe: "Prison, The New Madhouse" Dec.10, 2007

Dear Friends,

Many of you read the recent, three-part Spotlight series in The Boston Globe on prison suicides and treatment of mentally ill inmates in Massachusetts. We encourage you to read this excellent expose, if you have not already. The Globe admirably brought widespread attention to the dangerous use of segregation units to manage many of the nearly 3,000 mentally ill inmates in our state prison system.

CJPC does not support the practice of holding mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement. It is inhumane and counter-productive to place these inmates in exactly the situation that can cause their condition to deteriorate, while increasing the chances that they will cause harm to themselves or staff. In the last three years, there have been 16 inmate suicides in our state correctional facilities, and 11 of them occurred while the prisoners were in segregated units. We believe that prisoners with mental health issues should receive necessary treatment in a proper facility, under the direction of mental health professionals, and not be held in segregation units.

Rep. Ruth Balser has proposed legislation that would create "residential treatment units" (RTUs) that would ensure that mentally ill inmates receive needed specialized care, regular mental health assessment and treatment, and management by carefully screened and trained staff, and not be put into isolation. We hope you will join CJPC in supporting this legislation, House Bill 1313.

Please contact your legislators to urge their support and action. You can read more about the bill and this issue by checking out the fact sheet CJPC has prepared. I am sure that many of you were shocked to read the Boston Globe series. You can make a difference by asking your legislators to read these important articles, and by urging them to actively and vigorously support Rep. Balser's bill.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.

Best,
Sarah Compton
Executive Director