Challenge

FRA was approached by our client, White & Case, to provide pro bono support to the ACLU in their federal class-action lawsuit seeking to end solitary confinement in two Virginia prisons. By providing our services to ACLU, we are working to assist plaintiffs who have been held in solitary confinement for nearly 24 years, in cells roughly the size of a parking space, “for infractions as small as not shaving a beard” (Washington Post). FRA’s Data Governance, Technology Solutions and Forensics team are assisting in this matter, which resonates with our firm’s commitment to integrity, respect and shared responsibility for improving the communities in which we live.

Action

The FRA team is providing technology solutions and data governance support to the White & Case team for their investigation relating to the Virginia Department of Corrections’ procedures and practices surrounding solitary confinement and the Department’s affiliated Administrative Segregation Step Down Program. Using unstructured data provided by the client, FRA is working to process and organize the data to be reviewed and considered by White & Case to the standards we regularly produce for other civil cases.

Impact

Prior to FRA’s involvement, scrutiny of the maximum security prisons had been well documented by leading human rights groups. Similar cases have yielded reforms to the US prison system and the practice of solitary confinement. FRA is proud to align our expertise with our clients and others in this ongoing national effort to protect these individuals’ rights and hold accountable those with the responsibility to do better.