Missouri places people in solitary confinement at a higher rate than the national average. A May 2023 report identified Missouri and Kansas as states where restrictive housing -- including solitary confinement -- is used more than the national average. Missouri has no statute limiting the duration or scope of administrative segregation, and prior to a 2025 court settlement, MODOC's policy singled out people with HIV for automatic isolation.
The case that produced the settlement -- and the most public accountability around Missouri solitary confinement -- is that of Honesty Bishop, a transgender woman with HIV who spent more than 2,000 consecutive days in administrative segregation at Jefferson City Correctional Center. She entered solitary in 2015 after her cellmate tried to sexually assault her; MODOC's policy placed her there because she was living with HIV and deemed "sexually active." She spent six years in isolation, suffering severe mental health deterioration. She was paroled in 2021 but never recovered. On August 13, 2024, Bishop died by suicide. She was 34 years old.
A lawsuit filed on her behalf by the MacArthur Justice Center resulted in an August 20, 2025 settlement with MODOC. The settlement required removing the discriminatory HIV language from segregation policy, individualized assessment for anyone with HIV sent to solitary, and mandatory staff training. MODOC is also piloting a new restrictive housing model at two prisons with "meaningful hearings" and programming pathways back to general population.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Missouri
The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) uses "administrative segregation" as its primary term for solitary confinement. This encompasses:
Administrative Segregation: Non-punitive isolation for safety, security, or management reasons. Can be open-ended. This is the most common form of solitary in Missouri.
Disciplinary Segregation: Short-term punitive isolation following a disciplinary hearing and finding of guilt, with a defined term.
Protective Custody: Separation from general population for the person's own safety.
Special housing units: MODOC operates various specialized housing at specific facilities for ongoing safety and security management.
Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC), located in Jefferson City, is where the most documented solitary confinement cases in Missouri have occurred, including both the Bishop case and the December 2023 death of Othel Moore.
Missouri's HIV Solitary Policy
Before the August 2025 settlement, MODOC policy automatically placed people with HIV in administrative segregation if they were deemed "sexually active." This policy had no basis in public health -- medical science has established since at least 2011 that people with HIV at undetectable levels cannot transmit the virus.
Missouri was one of only three states in the country that singled out people with HIV in their administrative segregation policies (the others were Alaska and Michigan). The policy was described by medical experts as "very unnecessarily stigmatizing."
Honesty Bishop lived under this policy from 2015 to 2021 -- six years in a cell about the size of a parking space at Jefferson City Correctional Center. During that time:
- She wrote letters to her sister in St. Louis, both of them wondering why she continued to be held in such severe conditions.
- She was denied items that would have affirmed her identity as a transgender woman, which amplified the mental health impact of her isolation.
- She experienced depression, hopelessness, severe anxiety, and was driven to self-harm and multiple attempts to take her own life.
Bishop was paroled in 2021 and filed a federal lawsuit in 2023 through the MacArthur Justice Center. She died by suicide on August 13, 2024, at age 34. The case was continued in her name.
The 2025 Settlement
On August 20, 2025, MODOC settled the Bishop lawsuit. Settlement terms:
- MODOC removed the discriminatory language singling out people with HIV for segregation.
- Going forward, any incarcerated person with a communicable disease will be evaluated individually to determine if segregation is needed to prevent infection from spreading.
- MODOC must conduct an assessment of anyone with HIV who is sent to solitary.
- MODOC must provide mandatory training for some prison staff.
MODOC's spokeswoman said separately that a committee is overhauling restrictive housing more broadly, and that two prisons are piloting a new model with "meaningful hearings" and programming to help people return to general population.
Othel Moore at Jefferson City
In December 2023, Othel Moore died in solitary confinement at Jefferson City Correctional Center. He was seen being beaten in restraints by prison guards. Following investigations, warden Doris Falkenrath and four guards left employment at the facility.
Moore's death is one of multiple documented deaths at JCCC connected to solitary confinement and the conditions within it.
Who Can Be Placed in Administrative Segregation
Administrative segregation in Missouri is a classification decision that can be made without a prior hearing when a person poses an ongoing safety or security threat, is under investigation, or requires protective separation. Review occurs after placement.
Disciplinary segregation requires a disciplinary hearing and finding of guilt.
Prior to the 2025 settlement, people with HIV who were "deemed sexually active" were automatically placed in administrative segregation under MODOC policy. That automatic placement has now been replaced with individual assessment.
How Long People Stay in Solitary
Missouri has no statute limiting the duration of administrative segregation. The Honesty Bishop case involved 2,000+ consecutive days (more than 5 years) in solitary, with no statutory cap or mandated pathway to release.
MODOC's ongoing policy overhaul and pilot programs are intended to create a clearer pathway out of administrative segregation through "meaningful hearings" and programming. Whether and how these pilots become systemwide policy should be verified at publish.
Conditions in Missouri Solitary Confinement
Based on documented cases and reporting: single-person cells approximately the size of a parking space; lights on all day (a prisoner at JCCC described inmates being unable to handle constant lighting); severely restricted social contact; limited programming access. Disciplinary segregation similarly involves isolation with reduced privileges.
MODOC does not publish comprehensive public data on conditions in administrative segregation, including daily out-of-cell time or programming access.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in administrative segregation in a Missouri state prison:
Find where your person is housed. MODOC provides an offender search at doc.mo.gov. This confirms current facility and housing status.
Contact the facility. Each MODOC facility has administrative staff. Contact the warden's office or classification department to confirm your person's current housing status, the category of segregation (administrative vs. disciplinary), and current visiting and communication rules.
Know the HIV policy change. If your person has HIV and has been placed in administrative segregation based on their HIV status, the August 2025 settlement requires individual assessment rather than automatic placement. If your person believes they were placed in solitary solely or primarily because of their HIV status, document this and contact the MacArthur Justice Center or the ACLU of Missouri.
Document duration and conditions. Missouri has no statutory limit on administrative segregation. Keep records of your person's start date in solitary, the stated reason, review dates (if any), daily conditions reported, and any mental health contacts. This documentation is important for any grievance or legal action.
File a grievance. MODOC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file formal grievances for conditions violations, extended administrative segregation without justification or meaningful review, or denial of mental health care.
Contact the MacArthur Justice Center. The MacArthur Justice Center (macarthurjustice.org) represented Honesty Bishop and negotiated the 2025 MODOC settlement. They may be able to provide referrals for Missouri prison conditions cases.
Contact the ACLU of Missouri. The ACLU of Missouri (aclu-mo.org) monitors MODOC conditions and may provide advocacy support and referrals.
Seek legal help. If your person has HIV and was placed in administrative segregation based on that status, if solitary has continued for an extended period without meaningful review, or if conditions involve denied medical or mental health care, consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Missouri federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Missouri prisons?
MODOC uses "administrative segregation" for non-punitive long-term isolated housing and "disciplinary segregation" for punitive post-hearing isolation with a defined term. Administrative segregation is open-ended. Protective custody is used for people facing safety threats. MODOC does not publish comprehensive public data on the number of people in administrative segregation or the average duration of placements.
Who can be placed in admin segregation in Missouri?
Administrative segregation is a classification decision for people who pose ongoing safety or security threats, are under investigation, or require protective separation. Before August 2025, people with HIV who were deemed "sexually active" were automatically placed in administrative segregation under MODOC policy. The August 2025 settlement requires individual assessment instead. Disciplinary segregation requires a disciplinary hearing and guilty finding.
What are conditions like in Missouri solitary confinement?
Single-person cells approximately the size of a parking space; lights on all day; severely restricted social contact; limited programming. A prisoner at Jefferson City Correctional Center described inmates unable to handle the constant lighting. Honesty Bishop described depression, hopelessness, severe anxiety, and self-harm during her six years in solitary. MODOC does not publish comprehensive data on conditions such as daily out-of-cell time.
How long can someone stay in solitary in Missouri?
Missouri has no statute limiting the duration of administrative segregation. Honesty Bishop spent more than 2,000 consecutive days (over five years) in administrative segregation. MODOC is piloting a new model at two prisons with "meaningful hearings" and programming pathways back to general population, but this is not yet systemwide. Verify the current status of these pilots at publish.
What was Missouri's HIV solitary confinement policy?
Until August 2025, MODOC automatically placed people with HIV in administrative segregation if they were deemed "sexually active." This policy had no public health basis -- science has established since 2011 that people with HIV at undetectable levels cannot transmit the virus. Missouri was one of only three states with such a policy (along with Alaska and Michigan). The policy was removed as part of the August 2025 settlement.
What was the Honesty Bishop Missouri solitary case?
Honesty Bishop was a 34-year-old transgender woman with HIV who was placed in administrative segregation at Jefferson City Correctional Center in 2015 after her cellmate attempted to sexually assault her. Under MODOC's HIV policy, she was isolated as someone with HIV who was "deemed sexually active." She spent 2,000+ consecutive days in solitary, suffering severe mental health deterioration, self-harm, and multiple attempts to take her own life. Paroled in 2021, she died by suicide on August 13, 2024. A lawsuit filed by the MacArthur Justice Center in her name produced the August 2025 settlement.
What did the 2025 Missouri HIV solitary settlement require?
The August 20, 2025 settlement with MODOC: removed discriminatory language singling out people with HIV for segregation; required individual assessment of any person with a communicable disease before administrative segregation (replacing automatic placement); required assessment of any person with HIV who is sent to solitary; and required mandatory training for some prison staff. The settlement was the result of a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Honesty Bishop, who died by suicide in 2024.
What happened to Othel Moore at Jefferson City prison?
In December 2023, Othel Moore died in solitary confinement at Jefferson City Correctional Center after being seen beaten in restraints by prison guards. Following investigations, Warden Doris Falkenrath and four guards left employment at the facility. Moore's death is one of multiple documented deaths at JCCC connected to solitary confinement conditions.
Can families visit someone in Missouri admin segregation?
Visiting is typically restricted during administrative and disciplinary segregation. Contact the specific MODOC facility directly to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. MODOC facility contact information is at doc.mo.gov. Written mail generally retains stronger protections than phone or visits during segregation.
What can families do if someone is in Missouri solitary?
Use MODOC's offender search at doc.mo.gov to find your person. Contact the facility for current housing status and stated reason for segregation. If your person has HIV and was placed in solitary based on that status, the August 2025 settlement requires individual assessment -- document this and contact the MacArthur Justice Center (macarthurjustice.org) or ACLU of Missouri (aclu-mo.org). Document duration and conditions carefully. File grievances through MODOC's process. If segregation has continued for an extended period without documented justification or meaningful review, seek legal help. ---