Massachusetts passed major legislation in 2018 -- the Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJRA) -- designed to restrict prolonged solitary confinement. The law defined "restrictive housing" as 22 or more hours per day in a cell, required placement reviews every 90 days, and required that people in restrictive housing have the same rights to visits, phone calls, canteen access, and programming as those in general population, consistent with unit safety.
Then the Massachusetts Department of Correction declared that it had phased out restrictive housing entirely, completing the process in 2023. On paper, the problem was solved.
In practice, the DOC created new units that keep people isolated for 21.5 hours per day -- just below the 22-hour CJRA threshold -- effectively maintaining solitary confinement while evading the law's definition. On July 1, 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed by the Boston College Law School Civil Rights Clinic, Holland & Knight LLP, and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts on behalf of hundreds of people in these units, alleging the conditions violate Massachusetts and federal law, that 90-day reviews rarely occur, and that the DOC has retaliated against people who speak out.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Massachusetts
The Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJRA, 2018) established "restrictive housing" as the legal term in Massachusetts, defined as any housing placement where a person is confined to a cell for more than 22 hours per day. Prior Massachusetts statutes allowed "isolation units" -- the CJRA formally repealed that concept and replaced it with the restrictive housing framework.
Current isolated housing units in Massachusetts DOC:
Department Disciplinary Unit (DDU): Located at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole, the DDU is the most severe punitive unit in the Massachusetts state prison system. It functions as the primary long-term isolated housing unit for men.
Secure Adjustment Unit (SAU): Located at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center (SBCC) in Shirley, Massachusetts' maximum-security prison. The SAU is one of the units where people allege they are kept in isolation for 21.5 hours per day -- just below the CJRA's 22-hour definitional threshold.
Massachusetts also uses shorter-term administrative segregation and mental health watch as forms of restricted housing. The DOJ has stated that mental health watch as implemented in Massachusetts constitutes restrictive housing under constitutional standards, even though the CJRA expressly excluded mental health observation from the definition.
The 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act
The CJRA passed in 2018 with near-unanimous support and established the following:
Definition: Restrictive housing = confinement in a cell for more than 22 hours per day.
90-day reviews: Mandatory written progress reviews for all people in restrictive housing at least every 90 days to determine whether the person can be released from RH.
Equal rights: People in restrictive housing must have the same rights to visits, telephone calls, canteen access, and programming as those in general population, consistent with unit safety.
Restrictive Housing Oversight Committee (RHOC): An oversight body established in April 2018, with representation from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Department of Public Health, Disability Law Center, Prisoners' Legal Services, DOC, the Massachusetts Sheriff's Association, the Corrections Officers union, and the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts. The RHOC was tasked with gathering and analyzing data on restrictive housing use.
February 2025: The RHOC released its inaugural report, covering data from 2019 to 2021 -- a baseline period that preceded the DOC's claimed elimination of restrictive housing in 2021-2023.
Did Massachusetts End Solitary Confinement
The Massachusetts DOC claims it phased out restrictive housing beginning in 2021 and completed the process in 2023. The RHOC's February 2025 inaugural report describes this as a "phased elimination of Restrictive Housing at the Massachusetts Department of Correction."
However, people inside the DDU and SAU -- and Prisoners' Legal Services, which has litigated numerous solitary cases -- have documented that:
- People are being held in 21.5-hour-per-day cell confinement in units the DOC does not classify as "restrictive housing."
- 90-day reviews rarely occur in practice despite the CJRA requirement.
- People who complain have been retaliated against through sanctions, transfers, or use of force.
- Mental health watch, explicitly excluded from the CJRA's definition, is being used in conditions that the DOJ says rise to the level of restrictive housing.
The 2024 class action lawsuit directly challenges the DOC's claim that it has ended solitary confinement.
The 2024 Class Action
On July 1, 2024, the Boston College Law School Civil Rights Clinic, Holland & Knight LLP, and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of incarcerated people in Massachusetts DOC isolated housing units. Key allegations:
- Conditions in the DDU and SAU violate Massachusetts and federal law.
- The DOC is maintaining solitary confinement in all but name by using units with 21.5-hour cell confinement, evading the CJRA's 22-hour definition.
- Mandatory 90-day reviews are not occurring in practice.
- CJRA-required rights to visits, phone, canteen, and programming are not being honored.
- When people have spoken out or filed complaints, DOC officials have retaliated with unlawful sanctions, transfers, and in some cases physical force.
The lawsuit was filed after months of unsuccessful advocacy to DOC officials, a hunger strike by incarcerated people, and efforts by civil rights organizations and lawmakers that did not produce compliance.
Mental Health and the DOJ Investigation
The DOJ published a report documenting violations of the constitutional rights of incarcerated people with mental illness in Massachusetts. The DOJ specifically asserted that mental health watch as implemented in Massachusetts must be understood as restrictive housing -- contradicting the CJRA's explicit exclusion of mental health observation from the definition.
This DOJ finding is significant because it means the CJRA's definitional exclusion has been used as a vehicle to place people with serious mental illness in conditions that the federal government considers restrictive housing, without triggering the law's protections.
Massachusetts has no statute specifically prohibiting placement of seriously mentally ill people in the DDU, SAU, or equivalent units. Prisoners' Legal Services and the Disability Law Center (members of the RHOC) continue to monitor this issue.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in the DDU, SAU, or another isolated housing unit in a Massachusetts state prison:
Find where your person is housed. Massachusetts DOC provides an offender search at mass.gov/doc. This confirms current facility placement.
Know the specific unit. Ask whether your person is in the DDU (MCI-Cedar Junction, Walpole) or the SAU (Souza-Baranowski, Shirley), or another isolated unit. The unit determines which facility to contact.
Assert the 90-day review right. Under the CJRA, people in restrictive housing (22+ hours/day) must receive a written progress review every 90 days. If reviews are not occurring, help your person document this and file a grievance. The 2024 class action highlights that this right is being violated systematically.
Assert visiting, phone, and canteen rights. Under the CJRA, people in restrictive housing have the same rights to visits, phone, canteen, and programming as general population (consistent with safety). If these rights are being denied, document and grieve.
Document 21.5-hour holds. If your person is being held for 21.5 hours per day (below the 22-hour CJRA threshold) in a unit that functions as isolated housing, document this. This is the core of the 2024 class action and is a documented DOC practice for evading the law's protections.
File a grievance. Massachusetts DOC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file formal grievances. The grievance record is critical for any litigation.
Contact Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts. PLS (plsma.org) is the lead litigant in the 2024 class action and the primary legal resource for people in Massachusetts DOC isolated housing.
Contact the Disability Law Center. For people with mental illness or disabilities in isolated housing, the Disability Law Center (dlc-ma.org) is a member of the RHOC and monitors DOC conditions.
Contact the ACLU of Massachusetts. The ACLU of Massachusetts (aclum.org) monitors DOC conditions and may be able to provide referrals.
Seek legal help. Given the 2024 class action, this is an active litigation area. If your person is in a unit with 21.5-hour-per-day cell confinement, not receiving 90-day reviews, or having visits/phone/programming denied, consult a prisoner rights attorney.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in MA prisons?
Massachusetts uses "restrictive housing" as the legal term under the 2018 CJRA -- defined as cell confinement for more than 22 hours per day. The main isolated housing units in DOC are the Department Disciplinary Unit (DDU) at MCI-Cedar Junction and the Secure Adjustment Unit (SAU) at Souza-Baranowski. Mental health watch is another form of restricted placement that the DOJ has said rises to restrictive housing conditions, despite being excluded from the CJRA definition.
What did the 2018 Criminal Justice Reform Act change?
The CJRA defined restrictive housing (22+ hours/day), required 90-day placement reviews, required equal rights to visits/phone/canteen/programming in RH, established the Restrictive Housing Oversight Committee (RHOC), and repealed prior "isolation unit" statutes. It passed with near-unanimous legislative support and was intended to restrict prolonged solitary confinement in Massachusetts prisons.
Did Massachusetts end solitary confinement?
The Massachusetts DOC claims it did, completing the "phased elimination of Restrictive Housing" in 2023. Prisoners' Legal Services and people inside DOC units dispute this, documenting 21.5-hour-per-day cell confinement in units that fall just below the CJRA's 22-hour definitional threshold. A class action filed July 1, 2024 alleges these conditions violate state and federal law. The DOJ has also found that mental health watch as used by Massachusetts rises to the level of restrictive housing in constitutional terms.
What are the DDU and SAU units in Massachusetts?
The Department Disciplinary Unit (DDU) is at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole and is the state's primary punitive isolated housing unit for men. The Secure Adjustment Unit (SAU) is at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, the state's maximum-security prison. People in both units have described 21.5-hour-per-day cell confinement, failure to provide required 90-day reviews, and retaliation when they complain.
What are conditions like in Massachusetts RH units?
Based on 2024 class action filings and accounts from people inside: 21.5 hours per day or more in cells in the DDU and SAU; failure to provide mandatory 90-day reviews; denial of the visits, phone, canteen, and programming rights required by the CJRA; and retaliation against people who speak out (unlawful sanctions, transfers, and physical force). The DOC disputes these characterizations. The RHOC's February 2025 report covers 2019-2021 baseline data only and does not address current conditions.
What is the 2024 Massachusetts solitary class action?
Filed July 1, 2024 by the Boston College Law School Civil Rights Clinic, Holland & Knight LLP, and Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, the class action alleges that conditions in DOC isolated housing units violate Massachusetts and federal law; that the DOC is maintaining solitary confinement below the CJRA's definitional threshold; that 90-day reviews are not occurring; and that DOC is retaliating against people who complain. It was filed after months of advocacy, a hunger strike by incarcerated people, and failure to achieve compliance through non-litigation means.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in MA?
Imperfectly. The CJRA's definition of restrictive housing explicitly excludes mental health observation -- meaning mental health watch does not trigger the law's protections. However, the DOJ has stated that mental health watch as implemented in Massachusetts constitutes restrictive housing under constitutional standards. The gap between the CJRA's definitional exclusion and the DOJ's constitutional analysis creates a significant protection gap for people with serious mental illness.
What is the 90-day review requirement in Massachusetts?
Under the CJRA, people in restrictive housing (22+ hours/day) must receive a written progress review at least every 90 days to determine whether they can be released from RH. Staff and treatment providers are also supposed to develop a release plan when someone enters isolated housing. According to Prisoners' Legal Services and accounts from people inside, these reviews rarely occur in practice. The failure to conduct 90-day reviews is a central allegation in the 2024 class action.
Can families visit someone in Massachusetts solitary?
Under the CJRA, people in restrictive housing have the right to the same visits as general population, consistent with unit safety. However, the 2024 class action alleges this right is not being honored in practice. Contact the specific facility (MCI-Cedar Junction or Souza-Baranowski) directly to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. Massachusetts DOC facility contact information is at mass.gov/doc.
What can families do if someone is in MA solitary?
Use the DOC offender search at mass.gov/doc to find your person. Contact the facility to confirm housing status and current visiting/phone rules. Document whether 90-day reviews are occurring. Assert visiting and phone rights under the CJRA. Document any 21.5-hour-per-day cell confinement below the CJRA threshold. File grievances through DOC's process. Contact Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts (plsma.org), the Disability Law Center (dlc-ma.org), or the ACLU of Massachusetts (aclum.org) for advocacy and legal referrals. ---