Indiana has no statute limiting solitary confinement. What it has instead is a system with two parallel tracks: one formal, one informal. The formal track is Administrative Restrictive Housing Status, or ARSH -- the official designation for solitary confinement, defined as 22 or more hours per day locked in a cell. The informal track is the Restricted Movement Unit (RMU), internally called "G-ARSH," in which people spend 20 to 21 hours per day in their cells. The RMU is not counted as solitary confinement under IDOC's definition, does not trigger the minimal reviews required for formal ARSH, and lacks mental health screening protections. As one analysis put it, Indiana appears to have responded to legal challenges to its solitary confinement practices by holding people in conditions that skirt the legal definition while remaining highly restrictive.
Indiana's overall rate of restrictive housing has been well above the national average of about 4.5%. As of the most recent comprehensive survey, approximately 9.1% of Indiana's prison population spent at least 16 hours per day confined to their cells.
Two court settlements define Indiana's current framework: the 2016 IPAS v. Commissioner settlement, which prohibits placing seriously mentally ill (SMI) prisoners in restrictive housing; and a 2019 MacArthur Justice Center settlement for $425,000 on behalf of a man who spent four years in solitary without meaningful reviews.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Indiana
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) uses "Administrative Restrictive Housing Status" (ARSH) as its official designation for solitary confinement. ARSH is defined as being locked in a cell for at least 22 hours per day. IDOC policy is governed by IDOC Policy 02-01-111.
Additional restricted housing categories in Indiana include:
Disciplinary Restrictive Housing Status (DRHS): Short-term punitive isolation following a disciplinary hearing for a specific rule violation. Duration is set at the hearing.
Protective Custody: Separation from general population for safety reasons.
Restricted Movement Unit (RMU): Not classified by IDOC as solitary confinement. People in RMU spend 20-21 hours per day in their cells. RMU lacks the mandatory review and mental health screening protections that apply to formal ARSH. Residents refer to it as "G-ARSH."
Crisis Housing: Placement for people in acute mental health crisis.
The RMU structure is a central concern for advocates. It creates conditions substantially similar to solitary without the legal designation -- meaning the people inside have fewer procedural protections than those in formal ARSH.
Who Can Be Placed in ARSH
ARSH is supposed to be reserved for people who pose a threat to others in the prison or to the "orderly operation and security" of the facility. IDOC policy identifies the following as potential grounds:
- History of assaultive behavior.
- Active prison gang membership.
- High escape risk.
- Subject of an ongoing investigation.
ARSH placement is reviewed every seven days for the first two months, then every 30 days. A 2019 MacArthur Justice Center settlement for $425,000 arose from a case where a man spent four years in ARSH without a clear explanation and without meaningful reviews -- demonstrating that the review process can fail in practice.
Conditions in Indiana ARSH
In ARSH (22 or more hours per day in cell):
- Highly limited out-of-cell time.
- Restricted access to programming, recreation, and social contact.
- Mandatory mental health screening and periodic mental health monitoring (per the 2016 IPAS settlement for SMI individuals).
- Reviews every 7 days (first two months) then every 30 days.
In RMU (20-21 hours per day in cell):
- No mandatory mental health screening protections.
- No required review timelines.
- Restricted phone, tablet, and programming access.
- Conditions documented by those held inside as highly restrictive and similar to formal ARSH.
How Long People Stay in Solitary in Indiana
Indiana has no statute setting a maximum duration for ARSH. Duration is controlled by IDOC's review process. The 2019 MacArthur Justice Center settlement documented a case of four years in ARSH without meaningful review.
For disciplinary restrictive housing (DRHS), the term is set at the disciplinary hearing and is bounded by IDOC's disciplinary sanction schedule.
For the RMU, there is no defined maximum term. Placement continues at IDOC's discretion.
Mental Illness Protections: The 2016 IPAS Settlement
The most significant legal protection for Indiana prisoners in solitary confinement comes from the 2016 settlement in IPAS v. Commissioner, Indiana Department of Correction (S.D. Ind., originally filed 2008, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt).
The lawsuit was filed by the Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services (IPAS) Commission and the ACLU of Indiana after a 2012 court ruling found that IDOC violated the Eighth Amendment rights of seriously mentally ill prisoners held in isolation without adequate mental health care.
The 2016 settlement established:
- No seriously mentally ill (SMI) prisoner shall be placed in restrictive housing or protective custody if they are known to be SMI before placement.
- If a prisoner becomes SMI while in restrictive housing, they must be removed at the earliest opportunity.
- SMI prisoners in RH receive at least 10 hours per week of therapeutic programming.
- Exception: SMI prisoners may remain in RH up to 30 days under specified exceptional circumstances or if the prisoner waives programming.
- Frequent monitoring: daily visits by correctional and medical staff; weekly mental health personnel visits; monthly out-of-cell monitoring by a mental health professional.
- IDOC must maintain sufficient staffing to manage mental health units and divert SMI prisoners from RH.
- The settlement included a three-year monitoring period and $585,000 in attorney fees.
The definition of SMI under the settlement was broadened to include people who entered solitary with less than severe mental illness but whose mental health deteriorated due to solitary confinement.
The 2019 MacArthur Settlement
In November 2019, the MacArthur Justice Center secured a $425,000 settlement with IDOC on behalf of a man who had spent four years in ARSH without a clear explanation for his placement and without meaningful periodic reviews. The case highlighted the gap between IDOC's stated review requirements and actual practice.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in ARSH, RMU, or other restricted housing in an Indiana state prison:
Find where your person is housed. IDOC provides an offender search at mycase.in.gov. This confirms facility and housing status.
Ask specifically about the housing classification. Ask whether your person is in formal ARSH or in the RMU. If they are in the RMU (G-ARSH), they have fewer formal protections than those in ARSH -- document this and raise it through the grievance process.
Know the mental illness protections. If your person has a serious mental illness diagnosis and is in ARSH or protective custody, the 2016 IPAS settlement established specific protections. If those protections are not being honored -- placement in ARSH despite known SMI status, denial of therapeutic programming -- file a grievance and contact IPAS or the ACLU of Indiana.
Know the ARSH review schedule. ARSH is supposed to be reviewed every 7 days for the first two months, then every 30 days. If your person is in ARSH and reviews are not happening on this schedule, document this and file a grievance. The 2019 MacArthur settlement makes clear that meaningful review is legally required.
Document everything. If your person is describing conditions in the RMU or ARSH -- out-of-cell time, mental health contacts, programming access, review dates -- keep records of every call and letter. This documentation is critical for any grievance or legal action.
File a grievance. IDOC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file formal grievances for conditions that violate policy or their legal protections. Exhaust administrative remedies before seeking court relief.
Contact IPAS. The Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services Commission (IPAS, now known as Disability Rights Indiana at disabilityrightsindiana.org) was the lead litigant in the 2016 settlement and continues to monitor IDOC conditions for people with disabilities and mental illness.
Contact the ACLU of Indiana. The ACLU of Indiana (aclu-in.org) co-litigated the IPAS case and monitors IDOC conditions.
Contact the MacArthur Justice Center. The MacArthur Justice Center (macarthurjustice.org) secured the 2019 ARSH review settlement and may have current information on Indiana solitary confinement litigation.
Seek legal help. If your person has SMI and is in ARSH, if ARSH reviews are not occurring, if the RMU is being used to circumvent the 2016 settlement's protections, or if ARSH has lasted years without meaningful review, these situations may support legal claims. Consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Indiana federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Indiana prisons?
IDOC uses "Administrative Restrictive Housing Status" (ARSH) for formal solitary confinement -- defined as 22 or more hours per day in a cell. Short-term punitive isolation after a disciplinary hearing is called Disciplinary Restrictive Housing Status (DRHS). The Restricted Movement Unit (RMU, called "G-ARSH" by those inside) keeps people in cells 20-21 hours per day but is not classified as solitary confinement and has fewer protections than formal ARSH.
What is the Restricted Movement Unit in Indiana?
The RMU is a housing unit at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (and possibly other facilities) where people spend 20-21 hours per day in their cells. IDOC does not count it as solitary confinement because it falls just below the 22-hour threshold. It lacks the mental health screening, mandatory review timelines, and other protections that apply to formal ARSH. Advocates have documented that RMU conditions are substantially similar to solitary while avoiding the legal designation that would trigger those protections.
Who can be placed in ARSH in Indiana?
ARSH is for people who pose a threat to others or to the orderly operation and security of the facility -- including people with a history of assaultive behavior, active gang members, high escape risks, or people under investigation. ARSH placement is reviewed every 7 days for the first two months, then every 30 days. The 2016 IPAS settlement prohibits placing seriously mentally ill prisoners in ARSH if their SMI status is known before placement.
What are conditions like in Indiana ARSH?
ARSH involves 22 or more hours per day in a single cell with highly restricted out-of-cell time, programming, and social contact. Reviews occur every 7 days initially, then every 30 days. SMI prisoners receive specific mental health monitoring under the 2016 IPAS settlement. In the RMU (20-21 hours per day), conditions are similarly restrictive but with fewer mandated protections. Both ARSH and RMU restrict phone and programming access.
How long can someone stay in solitary in Indiana?
Indiana has no statute setting a maximum duration for ARSH. Duration is controlled by IDOC's review process. The 2019 MacArthur Justice Center settlement documented a case of four years in ARSH without meaningful review. For DRHS, the term is set at the disciplinary hearing. For the RMU, there is no defined maximum. The review process for ARSH is every 7 days initially and every 30 days after, but the 2019 settlement made clear that these reviews must be genuinely meaningful, not pro forma.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in IN?
Yes, under the 2016 IPAS v. Commissioner settlement. No seriously mentally ill (SMI) prisoner is to be placed in ARSH or protective custody if their SMI status is known before placement. If someone becomes SMI while in ARSH, they must be removed at the earliest opportunity. SMI prisoners in ARSH receive 10 hours per week of therapeutic programming, daily staff monitoring, weekly mental health visits, and monthly out-of-cell mental health monitoring. The definition of SMI includes people whose condition deteriorated due to solitary.
What was the 2016 IPAS settlement about in Indiana?
The 2016 settlement in IPAS v. Commissioner resolved a 2008 lawsuit filed by Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services and the ACLU of Indiana after a 2012 court ruling found Eighth Amendment violations. The settlement prohibits placing known SMI prisoners in ARSH, requires mental health monitoring and therapeutic programming for any SMI prisoner in restricted housing, and provided for a three-year monitoring period. IDOC paid $585,000 in attorney fees. Approximately 664 prisoners met the agreed SMI definition at the time of settlement, including 402 then in segregation or restrictive housing.
What was the 2019 MacArthur settlement about in Indiana?
In November 2019, the MacArthur Justice Center secured a $425,000 settlement with IDOC on behalf of a man who had spent four years in ARSH without a clear explanation and without meaningful periodic reviews. The case demonstrated that IDOC's stated 7-day and 30-day review requirements were not being meaningfully enforced in practice, and established that prolonged ARSH without genuine review was legally actionable.
Can families visit someone in Indiana restrictive housing?
Visiting is typically restricted in both ARSH and RMU. Contact the specific IDOC facility directly to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. IDOC facility contact information is at in.gov/idoc. Written mail generally retains stronger protections than phone or visits during restricted housing.
What can families do if someone is in Indiana solitary?
Use the IDOC offender search at mycase.in.gov to find your person's facility and housing status. Ask specifically whether they are in formal ARSH or the RMU -- the distinction affects what protections apply. If your person has SMI, contact Disability Rights Indiana (disabilityrightsindiana.org) or ACLU of Indiana (aclu-in.org) about the 2016 IPAS settlement protections. Document ARSH review dates and conditions. File grievances for any violations. Contact the MacArthur Justice Center (macarthurjustice.org) for information on ARSH review enforcement. ---