DENVER—A Senate committee delayed a vote on a Colorado proposal to limit the number of mentally ill inmates placed in solitary confinement.
Senators heard testimony on the bill Monday but will vote on it later. It would direct state prisons to have a physician evaluate inmates with mental illnesses before they’re placed in solitary confinement. The bill would also require that inmates in solitary confinement get a chance to integrate with the general prison population before they’re released to the public.
The Department of Corrections opposes the bill and says solitary confinement is used appropriately to protect the prison population.
Sen. Morgan Carroll and Rep. Claire Levy, both Democrats, say the bill is intended to curb the rising trend of mentally ill inmates who are put in solitary confinement.
