Pennsylvania inmates sue over ‘tortuous conditions’ of solitary confinement

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Solitary confinement conditions in a Pennsylvania state prison are unconstitutional, worsening and creating mental illness in those held there, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of five inmates who say they have spent long periods in “torturous conditions.” With limited mental health resources, some of the plaintiffs inside the Department of Corrections’ State Correctional Institution at Fayette have attempted suicide, flooded their cells with dirty toilet water, punched walls and written in their own blood, their lawyers said. The men are granted one hour of recreation time, in a cage outside, but many refuse it, due to declining mental health, the lawsuit said. But mental health treatment in the prison is “grossly inadequate” and Maldonado’s time in solitary confinement caused insomnia, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, his lawyers said. Once in solitary confinement, inmates can progress through phases to access more privileges — such as in-person non-contact visits, reading materials, tablets or TV — but the lawsuit said that “vague, arbitrary criteria” can keep the men from advancing.