California to shift mentally ill inmates out of solitary confinement

California will move mentally ill prisoners from solitary confinement to special isolation units as part of a series of new policies outlined by corrections officials Friday to improve treatment for inmates with psychiatric illnesses. In 2013, about 28 percent of California’s overcrowded prison population was diagnosed with some sort of mental illness, according to state and federal statistics. Complying with the federal order to amend how it deals with these inmates, the state earlier this month outlined changes to curb the use of force after video footage showed mentally ill prisoners screaming as guards doused them in pepper spray. Corrections officials are “focused on ensuring a strong collaborative environment between mental health and custody staff … to ensure mental health input is fully considered in programming and housing decisions,” Friday’s filing said.