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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.
This was in response to a DOJ investigation that showed serious failure by the prison to protect prisoners with mental health issues. You can hear the finding in this podcast: