ATTORNEYS FILED A class-action lawsuit Friday against the R.I. Department of Corrections for its persistent use of solitary confinement as a punishment for inmates with mental illnesses. Above, the Adult Correctional Institutes in Cranston. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
PROVIDENCE – On behalf of incarcerated Rhode Islanders with mental illnesses, attorneys on Friday filed a class-action lawsuit against the R.I. Department of Corrections for its persistent use of solitary confinement as a punishment. The lawsuit accuses the state of inhumane treatment and violation of federal law that protects individuals with disabilities, describing conditions for…