Less solitary confinement in NH?

State legislators are sponsoring three 2016 bills to study or limit the use of solitary confinement in New Hampshire prisons.

Two of the bills, HB 1311 and HB 1507, state that, "Solitary confinement employed in New Hampshire jails and prisons, such as within the 'controlled custody union' and 'special housing unit,' have been subject to overuse in their application to in-prison disciplinary offenses and prisoners known to be suffering from various mental health conditions."

The bills also state that prolonged solitary confinement, particularly for inmates with mental illness, can violate the U.S. Constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, roughly one-fifth of state and county inmates spend time in solitary confinement nationwide. 

However, there are no publicly available statistics on the use of solitary confinement in New Hampshire prisons in particular.

Many corrections officers argue that solitary confinement can be a useful tool to discipline prisoners and prevent violence. 

Protecting inmates and officers can already be a challenge in the understaffed New Hampshire corrections system. 

Some argue that to preserve prison safety, other issues - such as overcrowding and the high incident of sexual assault - must be addressed before scaling back solitary confinement.