violations of institutional rules, including the number of occurrences, duration of segregation, and consideration of mental illness in disciplinary proceedings. The Department of Corrections has been supportive of the effort, has allowed the P&A an unprecedented level of access to complete its investigation, and has requested recommendations on how to improve the Department’s policies concerning segregation of inmates with mental illness. In the past, Disability Rights Iowa successfully worked with the Department to improve its restraint policies and its training about inmates with mental illness for correctional officers. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy made it an organizational priority to investigate reports of abuse or neglect and deaths of inmates with mental illness in segregation in 2016. To carry out this priority, the P&A plans to complete monitoring in all 14 state prisons before the end of September 2016 and has opened several individual cases involving prison inmates with serious mental illness over the last year. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy also requested records and compiled data about the mental health treatment available to inmates in state prisons, including the reasons for placement in segregation and the length of time inmates remain in segregation. Following the P&A’s records requests, the Department of Corrections implemented a new data tracking and classification system to document the number of inmates with serious mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and brain injuries in prisons throughout Kentucky. The P&A has also provided public comments to the Department of Corrections on amendments to policies and procedures, including policies regarding special management inmates (inmates who spend 23 hours per day in a cell) and mental health services. In light of the P&A’s comments, the Department decreased the duration of inmates’ initial administrative segregation stay from a maximum of 60 days to a maximum of 30 days. The Department also secured an expert for consultation on further segregation reform. The P&A has also reviewed four incidents of alleged inappropriate restraint. When a review of the Department’s secure restraint policies is complete, the P&A will provide additional comments to ensure inmates with mental illness are not being inappropriately restrained. The P&A will continue to monitor and review amendments to Department regulations, policies, and procedures that impact inmates with mental illness into the next legislative session. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy also advocates for the approximately 300 inmates with serious mental illness in segregation statewide by handing out awareness buttons. The button with the number 23 signifies the number of hours per day that inmates with mental illness spend in their cell. On the 23rd day of each month, the P&A posts
violations of institutional rules, including the number of occurrences, duration of segregation, and consideration of mental illness in disciplinary proceedings. The Department of Corrections has been supportive of the effort, has allowed the P&A an unprecedented level of access to complete its investigation, and has requested recommendations on how to improve the Department’s policies concerning segregation of inmates with mental illness. In the past, Disability Rights Iowa successfully worked with the Department to improve its restraint policies and its training about inmates with mental illness for correctional officers. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy made it an organizational priority to investigate reports of abuse or neglect and deaths of inmates with mental illness in segregation in 2016. To carry out this priority, the P&A plans to complete monitoring in all 14 state prisons before the end of September 2016 and has opened several individual cases involving prison inmates with serious mental illness over the last year. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy also requested records and compiled data about the mental health treatment available to inmates in state prisons, including the reasons for placement in segregation and the length of time inmates remain in segregation. Following the P&A’s records requests, the Department of Corrections implemented a new data tracking and classification system to document the number of inmates with serious mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and brain injuries in prisons throughout Kentucky. The P&A has also provided public comments to the Department of Corrections on amendments to policies and procedures, including policies regarding special management inmates (inmates who spend 23 hours per day in a cell) and mental health services. In light of the P&A’s comments, the Department decreased the duration of inmates’ initial administrative segregation stay from a maximum of 60 days to a maximum of 30 days. The Department also secured an expert for consultation on further segregation reform. The P&A has also reviewed four incidents of alleged inappropriate restraint. When a review of the Department’s secure restraint policies is complete, the P&A will provide additional comments to ensure inmates with mental illness are not being inappropriately restrained. The P&A will continue to monitor and review amendments to Department regulations, policies, and procedures that impact inmates with mental illness into the next legislative session. Kentucky Protection and Advocacy also advocates for the approximately 300 inmates with serious mental illness in segregation statewide by handing out awareness buttons. The button with the number 23 signifies the number of hours per day that inmates with mental illness spend in their cell. On the 23rd day of each month, the P&A posts