RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to end the use of solitary confinement at two of the state's toughest prisons.
The lawsuit filed Monday alleges that inmates held in solitary confinement for extended periods of time at the Red Onion and Wallens Ridge prisons have suffered "severe physical and mental health damage."
Both Red Onion and Wallens Ridge are super maximum-security prisons in the southwest corner of Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Corrections has denied using solitary confinement. The DOC says it uses "restrictive housing" and a "step-down program" that allows inmates to earn their way back into the general population.
A DOC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.