S.B. 2520 - Correctional Facilities Segregation Procedures

• Establishes maximum limits on administrative segregation (14 days per 30-day period) and disciplinary segregation (60 days per 180-day period) in correctional facilities.

• Requires facility program committee hearings every third day for administrative segregation and adjustment committee hearings every tenth day for disciplinary segregation, with approval from division administrator, medical director, and staff psychiatrist for extensions.

• Prohibits use of segregation except for offenses involving violence, escape attempts, or serious threats to safety, and mandates alternative less restrictive punishments be attempted first for vulnerable populations (youth 21 and under, seniors 65 and older, individuals with mental health or developmental disabilities, pregnant individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals, etc.).

• Requires correctional facilities to provide segregated individuals with basic necessities, in-cell programming, staff interaction, access to communications and media, outdoor exercise, adequate lighting and furnishings, and daily mental health evaluations for vulnerable populations.

• Bans indefinite segregation, prolonged segregation, and continuously dark or lit cells; requires staff training; mandates maintenance of segregation records for legislative oversight; and prohibits any tortuous, cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishments.