ACLU files lawsuit over treatment of ACI inmates with mental illness

The population of mentally ill inmates in Rhode Island prisons and jails is routinely treated inhumanely, according to lawyers and advocates.

Attorney Amy Fettig, is the Deputy Director of the ACLU National Prison project. She says the frequent use of solitary confinement of prisoners with serious and persistent mental illness is unconstitutional.

"Thirty years ago, the federal courts found cruel and unusual punishment under the constitution. What that means is an 18th century way of saying torture. We were engaged in torture," she told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

J.R. Ventura, the Chief of Information and Public Relations Officer for the Rhode island Department of Corrections, issued the following statement:

RIDOC's priority is the health and safety of our inmates, and we are committed to providing compassionate and appropriate care to everyone in our custody. We have taken proactive steps to ensure our staff is trained on best practices in helping those with mental illness, and we have partnered across state agencies to guarantee high-quality mental health care for inmates. We are proud of the practices that have been implemented and strongly dispute the ACLU's claims.

Advocates say solitary confinement is imposed on at least one hundred individuals each year, with harmful results, including suicide attempts.

The also not that the prisons are housing many people with mental health issues.

"The Rhode Island Correctional Institute serves as the largest mental hospital in the state," said Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of RI.

Brian Adae, an attorney for Disability Rights Rhode Island, said people with serious and persistent mental illness, known as SPMI, are a significant portion of the prison population.

"Approximately 20 percent of those 2,700 to 3,000 [inmates]15-20 percent are folks with SPMI," he told the news conference.

In the lawsuit, the groups are asking that solitary confinement be tightly restricted and that more mental health services be offered.

James Rollins' firm has been involved in similar suits in other states, including one settled in Massachusetts seven years ago. "In Massachusetts and other jurisdictions where this has been resolved one of the pieces of that resolution has been alternative treatment units."