South Carolina's Department of Corrections (SCDC) uses "Restrictive Housing Units" (RHUs) for solitary confinement. SCDC policy OP-22.38 establishes three types of RHU placement: Short Term Detention (up to 30 days), Security Detention (non-punitive, longer-term), and Disciplinary Detention (post-hearing, capped at 60 days). South Carolina has no statute limiting the duration of solitary confinement or prohibiting it for any population in adult state prisons.
The most documented accountability concern in South Carolina's prison history involves the treatment of mentally ill prisoners in solitary. A 2005 state court lawsuit represented by Nelson Mullins and Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities revealed that half of nearly 3,000 prisoners on SCDC's mental health caseload had been held in solitary confinement for periods averaging almost two years. A 2012 bench trial was held; the case involved extensive evidence about SCDC's reliance on solitary as a management tool for people with mental illness.
South Carolina has also faced accountability in its juvenile justice system: a 2022 DOJ settlement with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) addressed prolonged solitary confinement at the Broad River Road Complex, and pending 2025-2026 legislation would prohibit solitary confinement for youth in DJJ custody entirely.
As of November 2025, SCDC reported 727 people in restrictive housing across the state prison system (out of 1,104 operational capacity beds).
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in South Carolina
SCDC uses "Restrictive Housing Units" (RHUs) and "restrictive housing" as official terms. Policy OP-22.38 governs RHU placement. The three main restrictive housing types in SCDC:
Short Term (ST) Detention: Pre-hearing isolation pending a disciplinary investigation or hearing. Can last up to 30 days. Must be reviewed within 72 hours of initial placement (including weekends and holidays). If at the end of 30 days it is determined the person needs longer-term housing, they may be recommended for Security Detention.
Security Detention: Non-punitive long-term administrative separation for people who pose a direct threat to institutional staff, the public, other inmates, or the safe, secure operation of the institution. Open-ended with regular reviews. No fixed maximum duration.
Disciplinary Detention: Punitive isolation following a disciplinary hearing and finding of guilt. Capped at 60 days per offense under SCDC policy OP-22.38.
SCDC also operates Special Management Units (SMUs), which are distinct from the RHU categories and house people designated for mental health programs, crisis intervention, medical needs, protective custody, and step-down. As of November 2025, SCDC reported 202 people in Special Management placements (out of 560 operational capacity beds).
Non-communication wings have also been documented as a de facto form of isolation within the RHU system. Accounts from 2025 describe people in solitary held on "non-communication wings" where phone calls and tablet email access are prohibited without disciplinary findings of guilt for misusing either service -- a practice advocates describe as abuse of administrative authority.
Conditions in South Carolina Restrictive Housing
People in RHUs are isolated from general population with severely restricted programming, contact, and movement. A 2025 first-person account from within an SCDC RHU described:
- Almost everyone in a cellblock taking antipsychotic medications.
- A "non-communication wing" where phone and tablet email access were prohibited without any disciplinary finding of guilt for misuse.
- Threats of retaliation for contacting the media about conditions.
The 2012 bench trial testimony (P&A and Nelson Mullins) documented that SCDC's solitary conditions "can be harmful for anyone, but they particularly expose individuals with mental illness to substantial risks of serious future harm." Half of the roughly 3,000 people on SCDC's mental health caseload had been held in solitary for an average of nearly two years.
The Mental Illness Litigation
In June 2005, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc. (P&A) and a class of inmates with serious mental illness (represented by Nelson Mullins law firm) filed suit in South Carolina state court against SCDC, alleging violations of the South Carolina Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment and seeking injunctive relief for adequate mental health services.
Key findings from the litigation:
- Half of nearly 3,000 people on SCDC's mental health caseload had been held in solitary confinement for periods averaging almost two years.
- SCDC extensively relied on solitary confinement as a means of managing inmate conduct, particularly for people with mental illness.
- The harms of solitary confinement were particularly severe for those with mental illness.
A bench trial was held in February and March 2012. The case documents a systemic pattern of placing mentally ill prisoners in prolonged solitary confinement rather than providing adequate mental health care. This litigation preceded and helped shape national awareness of the issue.
The 2022 DOJ Juvenile Justice Settlement
On April 13, 2022, the DOJ and South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) entered into a settlement agreement to resolve an investigation at the Broad River Road Complex (BRRC). The investigation found that DJJ failed to protect youth from physical abuse and subjected youth to prolonged solitary confinement. The settlement aims to remedy constitutional violations and ensure rehabilitative conditions.
Pending Youth Legislation
2025-2026 Bill 149 (Section 63-19-365) would prohibit solitary confinement for youth in DJJ custody, defining solitary confinement as physical and social isolation for 22 or more hours per day. It would allow corrective room restriction only when other less-restrictive options have been exhausted and only for the safety of the child, staff, or facility, with a requirement to return the child to general population as soon as reasonably possible. Status at publish should be verified.
No Adult Statute
South Carolina has no statute:
- Limiting the duration of adult restrictive housing.
- Prohibiting placement of seriously mentally ill prisoners in solitary.
- Requiring minimum out-of-cell time in adult state prisons.
- Mandating public data reporting on restrictive housing use.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in an RHU or Special Management placement at a South Carolina state prison:
Find where your person is housed. SCDC provides an inmate search at doc.sc.gov. This confirms current facility and housing status.
Contact the facility. Contact the warden's office or classification department to confirm your person's housing category (ST Detention, Security Detention, or Disciplinary Detention), the reason for placement, and the review schedule.
Know the caps. Short Term Detention: maximum 30 days, with 72-hour review. Disciplinary Detention: maximum 60 days per offense. Security Detention: no fixed maximum. If your person is in disciplinary detention beyond 60 days, this may violate SCDC policy. Document and file a grievance.
Know the 72-hour review for ST Detention. Under OP-22.38, Short Term Detention placement must be reviewed within 72 hours including weekends and holidays. If this review has not occurred, document and file a grievance.
Know about the communication prohibition. If your person is on a "non-communication wing" where phone and tablet access are blocked without a disciplinary finding of guilt, this may violate SCDC's own disciplinary policy, which limits phone restriction to cases with findings of guilt for phone misuse. Document this and file a grievance.
Ask about Special Management placement. If your person has a serious mental illness or significant disability, ask whether placement in SCDC's Special Management Units (rather than standard RHU) has been considered. SMUs are distinct from RHUs and include mental health programs and crisis intervention.
File a grievance. SCDC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file grievances for cap violations, 72-hour review failures, communication restrictions without disciplinary findings, and denial of mental health services.
Contact Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities. P&A (pandasc.org) is the federally mandated protection and advocacy organization for South Carolina and represented the 2005 class of mentally ill prisoners in the SCDC litigation.
Contact the ACLU of South Carolina. The ACLU of SC (aclusc.org) monitors SCDC conditions and may be able to provide referrals.
Seek legal help. If your person has a serious mental illness and is in prolonged Security Detention or other RHU placement without mental health services, if communication has been restricted without disciplinary findings of guilt for misuse, or if disciplinary detention has exceeded the 60-day cap, consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with South Carolina state and federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in SC prisons?
SCDC uses "Restrictive Housing Units" (RHUs) and "restrictive housing," governed by Policy OP-22.38. The three RHU types are Short Term Detention (up to 30 days, reviewed within 72 hours), Security Detention (non-punitive, open-ended), and Disciplinary Detention (post-hearing, capped at 60 days). SCDC also operates Special Management Units for mental health, medical, protective custody, and step-down needs.
What are the types of restrictive housing in SC prisons?
Short Term (ST) Detention: pre-hearing isolation, up to 30 days, 72-hour review required. Security Detention: non-punitive long-term isolation for people posing ongoing threats; open-ended with regular reviews. Disciplinary Detention: post-hearing punitive isolation, maximum 60 days per offense. Special Management Units: separate from RHUs; housing for mental health, medical, protective custody, and step-down needs. As of November 2025: 727 people in RHU and 202 in Special Management placements.
What are conditions like in SC restrictive housing?
People in SCDC RHUs are in cells isolated from general population with severely restricted programming, contact, and movement. 2025 first-person accounts describe most RHU cellblock residents taking antipsychotic medications and "non-communication wings" where phone and tablet access are blocked without any disciplinary finding. The 2012 bench trial documented SCDC's extensive reliance on solitary as a management tool for people with mental illness, with half of nearly 3,000 mentally ill prisoners having been held in solitary for an average of nearly two years.
How long can someone stay in solitary in South Carolina?
Short Term Detention: maximum 30 days. Disciplinary Detention: maximum 60 days per offense. Security Detention: no fixed maximum under SCDC policy; open-ended with regular reviews. South Carolina has no statute limiting the duration of any adult restrictive housing placement. The 2012 bench trial documented average solitary stays of nearly two years for the seriously mentally ill population.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in SC?
Not by statute. SCDC operates Special Management Units that include mental health programs as an alternative to standard RHU placement, but there is no statutory prohibition on placing seriously mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement. The 2005 P&A/Nelson Mullins lawsuit and 2012 bench trial documented systemic placement of mentally ill prisoners in prolonged solitary as a management tool rather than providing adequate mental health care.
What is Security Detention in South Carolina prisons?
Security Detention is SCDC's non-punitive long-term administrative separation, used for people who pose a direct threat to institutional staff, the public, other inmates, or facility security. It does not require a prior disciplinary hearing and is open-ended -- there is no fixed maximum duration under SCDC policy. Review intervals are not publicly specified in available policy documents; families should ask the facility directly about the review schedule for any Security Detention placement.
What did SC courts find about solitary and mental illness?
A 2005 lawsuit by Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities (P&A) and a class of mentally ill prisoners represented by Nelson Mullins documented that half of nearly 3,000 people on SCDC's mental health caseload had been held in solitary for an average of nearly two years. A bench trial was held in February-March 2012 covering SCDC's reliance on solitary as a management tool for mentally ill people. The testimony established that solitary conditions in South Carolina "can be harmful for anyone, but they particularly expose individuals with mental illness to substantial risks of serious future harm."
Does SC have a law limiting solitary confinement?
No. South Carolina has no statute limiting the duration of adult restrictive housing, prohibiting placement of any population in solitary, requiring minimum out-of-cell time, or mandating public data reporting on restrictive housing use. The April 2022 DOJ settlement with SC's Department of Juvenile Justice addressed prolonged solitary for youth at the Broad River Road Complex. Pending 2025-2026 legislation (Bill 149) would ban solitary for youth in DJJ custody. No equivalent legislation exists for adult state prisons.
Can families visit someone in SC restrictive housing?
Visiting is typically restricted during RHU placement. Under OP-22.38, legal and professional visits should be maintained. Contact the specific SCDC facility directly to confirm current visiting rules before traveling. SCDC facility information is at doc.sc.gov. Written mail generally retains stronger protections than phone or visits during restrictive housing.
What can families do if someone is in SC solitary?
Use SCDC's inmate search at doc.sc.gov to find your person. Confirm housing category (ST Detention, Security Detention, Disciplinary Detention, or Special Management) and reason for placement. Know the caps: ST Detention 30 days; Disciplinary Detention 60 days. Know the 72-hour review requirement for ST Detention. Ask about the Security Detention review schedule. If communication has been restricted without a disciplinary finding, file a grievance citing SCDC's own disciplinary policy. Ask about SMU mental health placement for people with SMI. Contact P&A (pandasc.org) or ACLU of SC (aclusc.org) for advocacy support. ---
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