In Illinois law, there are no limits on how long a person can be held in solitary confinement, which violates an internationally recognized standard called the Nelson Mandela Rules. The United Nations rules on incarceration, known as the “Mandela Rules,” specify that under international human rights law, solitary confinement for more than 15 days is torture.

SB 65 / HB 1428 would create the Nelson Mandela Act, also known as the Solitary Confinement Restriction Act. This bill would bring Illinois into compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules by limiting the use of solitary confinement in prisons, jails, and immigration facilities with more than 500 people and by requiring:

• Everyone be allowed out of their cells at least four hours a day or that,

• When a person needs to be kept in a cell for more than 20 hours a day, that can only last 10 days in any 180-day period.

• People who are under 21, over 55, have a disability (as defined by ADA), or are pregnant or postpartum could not be placed in solitary confinement.