HARTFORD (AP) — An expert on torture with the United Nations is calling out the use of solitary confinement as punishment in Connecticut prisons saying it could amount to psychological torture.

Nils Melzer, special rapporteur on torture for the U.N., criticized Friday the use of solitary confinement in the United States but specifically mentioned Connecticut’s Department of Correction’s practices.

"The DOC appears to routinely resort to repressive measures, such as prolonged or indefinite isolation, excessive use of in-cell restraints and needlessly intrusive strip searches," Melzer said in the statement. “There seems to be a State-sanctioned policy aimed at purposefully inflicting severe pain or suffering, physical or mental, which may well amount to torture.”

He added that the alleged practices can trigger and exacerbate psychological suffering, especially those who may have experienced previous trauma or have mental health conditions or psychosocial disabilities.

Karen Martucci, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Correction, said in an email the department’s policy around administrative segregation — or solitary confinement — does allow for meaningful engagement through group programming, recreation, family social visits, phone calls and interactions with counselors and clinicians.

“The Department of Correction has been amongst the top states in the county to rely the least on utilizing AS," she wrote in an email. “There is a high threshold for placement typically involving a significant act of violence jeopardizing the safety of others.... the agency continuously reviews policy, to include restrictive status, to make enhancements.”

Hope Metcalf, who teaches at the Allen K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School, said the comments were in response to a report their group sent to the UN about the use of solitary confinement at Northern Correctional with testimony from people incarcerated inside.

“On behalf of the clinic we are grateful that the U.N. SR recognizes the seriousness of these violations and responded to the men who were brave enough to step forward,” she said.

That report -- submitted May 2019 -- alleges the state Department of Correction engages in psychological and physical torture of people incarcerated at Northern Correctional Institution, a high-security prison in Somers, and other prisons and that the state has “consistently failed to adequately fund and oversee its correctional health system, particularly mental health.”

The report said reforms the department enacted in 2012 lead to a “considerable” decline in the population of isolated prisoners at Northern and that reduction was “commendable.”

But it also stated the reforms to date are “grossly incomplete.”

Faith Barksdale, a third-year law student in the clinic, said she has reviewed policies in other areas of the country and the practices used in Connecticut are especially harsh like people being locked with restrains in their cell for 72 hours or more.

“I think this report is really impactful because it validates what people are incarcerated have said,” she said. “As Americans we don’t want to believe -- and we can’t believe -- these things are happening 30 minutes down the road or 45 minutes down the highway.”

Stop Solitary Connecticut is an advocacy group that is trying to help pass a bill that would end the use of solitary confinement. They also want to see Northern shut down.

Inside the Capitol building's lobby, the advocacy organization has a replica solitary confinement cell for people to sit inside with audio to simulate what it is like inside a cell.

Joseph Gaylin, member of the steering committee for Stop Solitary CT, said the response should serve as a wake-up call for legislators to make ending solitary confinement a legislative priority.

New Haven Sen. Gary Winfield, a democrat, said a bill looking to end the use of solitary confinement in the state is expected to come up to the Judiciary Committee, which he co-chairs.

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Chris Ehrmann is a corps member for Report for America, a nonprofit organization that supports local news coverage, in a partnership with The Associated Press for Connecticut. The AP is solely responsible for all content.