Pennsylvania Corrections Lawsuit Settlement To Improve Procedures For Inmates With Serious Mental Illness

On January 6, 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) and Disability Rights Network (DRN) of Pennsylvania announced a settlement agreement in which DOC agreed to improve procedures and policies for handling inmates with serious mental illness (SMI) who have problem behaviors. The agreement responds to a 2013 lawsuit filed by DRN that alleged that DOC violated the civil rights of inmates with SMI by segregating them to solitary confinement in restricted housing units (RHUs) as discipline for behavior problems. In the settlement agreement, DOC outlined new procedures it plans to implement over the next two years to divert inmates . . .