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Committee rejects defining 'solitary confinement'; directs annual report on segregation use
Summary
The committee voted down a motion to add a statutory definition of "solitary confinement" and instead asked the Department of Corrections and county jails to report annually on instances of segregation of 22 hours or more in a 24-hour period.
The Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety considered LD 405, a proposal that would have defined "solitary confinement" for jails and correctional facilities and tied a statutory reporting trigger to the practice. Committee members heard testimony from advocates, a corrections-policy analyst and sheriffs about the scope and effects of segregation and related special-management housing practices in Maine facilities.
Jan Collins, who testified for reform interests, told the committee that the bill did not prevent necessary separations for safety but would enable the Legislature to establish guardrails. "This bill does not in any way prescribe that...it does not say you can't separate people," Collins said, adding that definitions allow policymakers to determine appropriate limits and carve-outs. Sheriffs and corrections officials urged caution. Penobscot County Sheriff…
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