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The state's prison system will become the first to evaluate the Fitbit-like devices, which use algorithms to track prisoners' vitals.
Last year, an investigation by the US Department of Justice found that the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (MADOC) had been violating the Eighth Amendment of cruel and unusual punishment by failing to provide adequate mental health treatment to incarcerated people in crisis. The DOJ characterized MADOC’s mental health watch practices as restrictive, isolating, and involving unnecessarily harsh conditions.
While I would consider this more than a band-aid solution (treating the problem as opposed to really working to solve it), it needs to be matched with the aforementioned training of prison officials and officers in detecting and assisting with mental health issues.