Lawyers: Inmates shouldn’t be freed directly from solitary confinement

By: Associated Press//August 3, 2018//

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By KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A legal advocacy group says a Georgia practice of releasing prisoners directly from solitary confinement sets them up for failure and poses a risk to the public.

In a letter sent Tuesday to state corrections officials, lawyers with the Southern Center for Human Rights also raise concerns about mentally ill prisoners being held in solitary confinement. They ask the officials to “investigate and remedy” the practices.

The letter urges prison officials to connect prisoners nearing the end of their sentence with re-entry assistance and help them adjust to social interaction.

The Southern Center represents prisoners in a lawsuit challenging conditions at the Special Management Unit of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson.

A Department of Corrections spokeswoman did not immediately respond Friday to an email seeking comment.

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