In 2009, a teenaged prisoner with mental illness who spent over a year in solitary confinement filed a lawsuit in the Montana First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County, under Montana state law, against the State of Montana . Plaintiff, represented by the Montana ACLU, asked the court for injunctive relief.

On March 30, 2012, the parties reached a partial settlement. Under the settlement, 1) juveniles cannot be placed in solitary confinement or behavior management programs for more than 72 hours without the approval of the director of the Department of Corrections, 2) juveniles will initially be placed in the lowest category of confinement unless they have a significant institutional history or have been convicted of a severe offense, 3) classification of juvenile inmates will take into account their unique needs for education and mental and medical treatment and their lack of full maturity, 4) mentally ill prisoners cannot be placed into solitary confinement if it is determined it will harm their mental health, and those who are placed in solitary confinement must receive private treatment sessions with a mental health professional as often as necessary, and 5) suicidal inmates cannot be placed in behavior management programs.

No docket is available, for this court. But this case is ongoing.

Gregory Pitt - 07/23/2012


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