The Maine Department of Corrections paid a man $250,000 to settle a lawsuit in which he recounted years of being held in solitary confinement at the Maine State Prison.
Zachary Swain accused top officials in Maine’s prison system of depriving him of the mental health treatment he needed by keeping him in solitary confinement for years.
He filed a lawsuit in Maine’s U.S. District Court detailing how the isolation worsened his mental illness. He tried to harm himself several times, including multiple attempts to take his own life, and alleged in the lawsuit that prison officials violated his rights under the U.S. Constitution and Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Defendants consciously disregarded Zach’s mental illness by categorizing his behavioral problems as solely criminal ‘bad behavior’, and ignoring or minimizing his significant mental health history and problems,” the lawsuit read.
State officials at the department denied all of Swain’s allegations in their response to the complaint. They argued that they “acted reasonably under the circumstances, and in good faith,” and contended that they weren’t responsible for any damages Swain may have suffered.
Swain, a South Portland resident, was in custody at the Warren prison from December 2015 to February 2022, according to the lawsuit.
He accused prison officials of keeping him in long-term solitary confinement for over three years, including one period of 636 days. The lawsuit says he repeatedly tried to hurt himself and swallowed items that could hurt or kill him, including a copper wire.
Swain’s time in isolation was documented in a 2021 investigation by the Bangor Daily News. During his time at the prison, people incarcerated in the solitary confinement unit conducted a dayslong hunger strike in protest of the unit’s restrictive conditions.
The lawsuit was dismissed in February, according to court documents. Documents obtained by the Portland Press Herald through a public records request show the state paid him in March after the settlement agreement was finalized in February.
The settlement agreement prohibits both sides from discussing the terms of the settlement.