SC prisons put time limits on solitary confinement

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s prison system is changing the way it handles inmates in solitary confinement.

Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling tells The Greenville News (http://grnol.co/1A0DPbi ) that he has ordered a limit on what the prison system calls “disciplinary detention.”

It’s part of a new disciplinary policy that also lets inmates earn back privileges with good behavior.

The new policy means offenses that could have resulted in years in solitary now will have a cap of 60 days. Stirling says some inmates can still be held indefinitely, like those prison officials think pose a threat to others.

The change comes after years of criticism about using such sanctions to discipline mentally ill prisoners and a class-action lawsuit over the issue. Stirling says cases of inmates currently in solitary will be reviewed.

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Information from: The Greenville News, http://www.greenvillenews.com