Ed Wall, secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections, is also concerned. In an April memo to DOC staff, Wall asked whether segregation is being used for punitive reasons, when “what we really need from segregation is for inmates to have a corrective and rehabilitative experience.” The department is now consulting professionals throughout the country, with the goal of releasing a revised policy by January.
Wall cited national developments in this area, including the “sobering” observations of former Wisconsin DOC secretary Rick Raemisch, now executive director of Colorado’s state prison system. Raemisch testified before the Senate committee, calling solitary confinement “overused, misused and abused.”
“Segregation either multiplies or manufactures mental illness,” Raemisch said in an interview. “It may help (control behavior) while the person is behind that steel door, but what you’re doing is magnifying the problem.”
Via Wisconsin rethinks use of solitary confinement @ WisconsinWatch.org.