Solitary confinement in Oregon prisons challenged

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A new legal challenge seeks to curtail the use of solitary confinement as discipline in Oregon prisons. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Oregon Justice Resource Center argues the practice is cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The center asked the state appeals court Wednesday for a temporary restraining order halting the Oregon Department of Corrections from sending inmates to solitary confinement for over 15 days while justices consider the motion. An Oregon Department of Corrections spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request from the newspaper for comment. Long stretches of solitary confinement make Oregon an outlier among most neighboring state correction departments.