A federal judge in Connecticut says the prison conditions of a former death row inmate constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Richard Reynolds is a prisoner at Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut. Reynolds was sentenced to death in 1995 for killing a police officer. His sentence was commuted to life in prison when the state eliminated the death penalty in 2017.
He sued the state, saying he was kept alone in his cell for 21 hours a day, and cited other overly harsh conditions, like not being able to touch visitors.
Judge Stefan Underhill said these were a violation of the Eighth Amendment. He ordered the prison to put Reynolds in conditions similar to those of the general population.
