5 things you need to know about Massachusetts’ new landmark law banning prison solitary confinement for more than 15 days.
- The law makes Massachusetts the first state in the U.S. to institute a hard 15-day cap on solitary confinement, a move hailed by human rights groups as a historic victory for incarcerated individuals and a direct challenge to federal prison standards.
- Under the new rules, any prisoner placed in "restrictive housing" for disciplinary reasons must be released after two weeks, with mandatory mental health evaluations every 72 hours and a full ban on long-term isolation for people under 21 or over 65.
- Conservative critics and prison union leaders warn the law could erode safety for corrections officers, arguing that violent inmates will have less deterrent to misbehave, while the state’s governor cites research showing solitary exacerbates mental illness.
- The legislation also creates a statewide oversight board with subpoena power to inspect facilities, and requires prisons to report real-time data on solitary use to the public, a transparency measure Massachusetts prisons initially fought against.
- This move comes after a 2023 Department of Justice report found Massachusetts’ use of solitary confinement was "grossly disproportionate" compared to other states, with some inmates spending over 1,000 consecutive days in isolation without sunlight or human contact.