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The Reform Solitary Confinement Act would establish clear limits and safeguards on the use of solitary confinement in Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) facilities. If enacted, the bill would:

• Limit the use of disciplinary (punitive) solitary confinement to a maximum of 15 consecutive days and no more than 30 days within any 60-day period.

• Restrict disciplinary confinement to only the most serious offenses—those involving violence, escape, or actions that endanger facility safety by inciting others to violence or escape.

• Prohibit the placement of vulnerable individuals—including those with mental illness, disabilities, or other special needs—in solitary confinement.

• Guarantee equal access to programming, personal property, commissary, medical and mental health care, legal assistance, and other basic necessities for those in solitary, ensuring conditions consistent with the general population.

• Increase out-of-cell time for individuals in Administrative Confinement to a minimum of four hours per day.

• Establish a step-down and transitional housing program offering at least six hours of daily out-of-cell time to support reintegration.

• Strengthen transparency and oversight by expanding RIDOC’s reporting requirements on solitary confinement use.

• Bring key RIDOC policies under the Rhode Island Administrative Procedures Act, ensuring public input, accountability, and transparency in how confinement policies are developed and implemented.