Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Government, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety

Wisconsin joins national push to curb solitary confinement

Wisconsin has made a “culture shift” in its use of solitary confinement in prisons, eliminating it as punishment for minor rule infractions and cutting the time inmates spend in isolation for more serious offenses, Department of Corrections officials revealed in an interview granted as part of a legal settlement with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.

Posted inCruel and Unusual?, Government, Justice & Safety

Waupun prison guards accused of abusing dozens of inmates

Part 1: The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has identified 40 allegations of physical or psychological abuse by correctional officers against inmates in Waupun’s segregation unit since 2011. The allegations, involving 33 inmates, allege extreme mistreatment, including being beaten and stomped on while handcuffed behind their backs.