Georgia prison officials in 'flagrant' violation of solitary confinement reforms, judge says

Georgia prison officials have flagrantly violated a court order to reform conditions for prisoners in the state’s most restrictive holding facility, showing “no desire or intention” to make the required changes to solitary confinement practices, a federal judge said.

In a damning ruling, U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Friday held officials at the Georgia Department of Corrections in contempt, threatening them with fines and ordering an independent monitor to ensure compliance with a settlement agreement for the Special Management Unit of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, about 50 miles (80km) south of Atlanta.

The SMU houses some of the state’s most violent offenders in solitary confinement under conditions that one expert found risked causing psychological harm.