Senate Bill 176 footage from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing March 14, 2011.

Senator Morgan Carroll introduced this bill to discuss solitary confinement as a method of controlling the increasing population of prison inmates who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled. These two groups have increased from 15 percent of the Colorado prison population to 37 percent in the past few years, suggesting Colorado's treatment of the DD and mentally ill contributes to this phenomena.

About 5 prison employees, including women supervising sewing, tell about the assaults against them by inmates, some mentally ill, others not.

Various prison officials add their testimony against SB176, but Paula Rhoads, producer, did not stay long enough to catch testimony in favor of this bill, which does not seek a quick passage.

With an average of 18 months use of solitary confinement, Sen. Carroll suggests that removing mentally ill inmates from the general population in prison also shuts down any rehab or reform, and does further damage to the individual.

We present 138 minutes of footage for those who are interested in following this subject.