California prison officials have agreed to end a policy that segregated inmates based on their race after a riot.
The policy was challenged in a 2008 inmate lawsuit and deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Department of Justice.
A settlement reached Wednesday says future lockdowns "may not be imposed or lifted based on race or ethnicity.'' A copy of the settlement was obtained by The Associated Press.
Officers have frequently locked inmates in their cells based on which races were involved in a riot as a way of preventing further violence, even if individual inmates of that race were not directly implicated.
Under the settlement, officers can lock down every inmate in an affected area or lock down individual inmates suspected of being involved.
