A federal judge approved a settlement meant to reduce isolation for mentally ill prisoners in Massachusetts on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in 2007, stated that segregation for up to 23 hours a day violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and inmates' constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment after 11 inmates who were segregated committed suicide in a 28 month period. Eight more suicides occurred in 2010.
The settlement provides for use of alternative placements, psychological help for inmates as well as review of their cases for other options.
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