It's hard to see why anyone would oppose LD 1611: "An Act to Ensure
Humane Treatment of Special Management Unit Prisoners".
Read the Bill.
The legislation places very few restrictions on the Department of Corrections,
it allows a prisoner to be placed in solitary for as long as 45 days (that's a
long time) before a hearing must be held to extend confinement, and it requires
that a medical professional evaluate the health of an inmate before being
placed in "segregation" (the soft term for solitary confinement).
Very simply, LD 1611 sets minimum standards that the DOC needs to
follow.
The narrow minded among us like to remark how we need to "get
tough" on prisoners. We need to extend prison sentences. We
need to make prison even more uncomfortable than it already is.
But ultimately, we’ll bear that cost. By treating inmates inhumanely,
we set ourselves up to face the consequences of that punishment. How can
we expect someone fundamentally damaged from abusive incarceration to become a
functioning member of society when released?
We can't.
LD 1611 is a step in the right direction. Please help by signing the
petition here.