A Review of Inmate Litigation Challenging the Constitutionality of Solitary Confinement

ABSTRACT

Since the 1960s, inmate litigation has continually evolved by challenging conditions of confinement, lack of due process, and treatment by correctional administrators. One such condition of confinement that has received judicial scrutiny is solitary confinement, but there is sparse research examining solitary confinement practices and conditions through what has been one of the predominant forms of correctional change – inmate litigation and judicial intervention. In the current study, we examined Section 1983 lawsuits across six states, that were decided from 2015 to 2020, in which inmates alleged they experienced constitutional violation(s) during their time spent in solitary confinement. The findings showed that most lawsuits were unsuccessful due to failure to establish a constitutional claim or provide sufficient evidence to overcome a defendant’s qualified immunity.

KEYWORDS:

• Solitary confinement
• supermax prison
• inmate litigation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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