This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Madison, Wis. • An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union is asking a federal judge to order that the Wisconsin Department of Corrections immediately end the use of pepper spray and solitary confinement at juvenile prisons.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson says he will issue an order in the case Friday morning.
Department of Corrections attorney Sam Hall says use of the disciplinary tactics in question is declining, but immediately ending them would be counterproductive and could jeopardize the safety of inmates and prison staff.
ACLU attorney Larry Dupuis argues pepper spraying inmates and putting them in segregation units amounts to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment and should be stopped immediately.
Wisconsin's juvenile prisons have been under federal investigation for two years.