TO COLLECT DATA REGARDING THE USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN ARKANSAS PRISONS AND JAILS.

Senate Bill 461 would have required Arkansas prisons, jails, and youth detention facilities to collect and report detailed data on the use of "segregation," defined as solitary confinement. The Department of Corrections, Division of Youth Services, and local detention facilities would have submitted quarterly reports to the Legislative Council. These reports would include information on the demographics of individuals in segregation, the reasons for their placement, the duration of their confinement, and incidents of self-harm or suicide. The bill also defined specific terms like "serious mental illness" to standardize reporting.