The cases of two Penitentiary of New Mexico inmates who have filed petitions to be removed from solitary confinement will be heard in court.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports hearings for 36-year-old Jacob Steven Chavez and 32-year-old Timothy Martinez are scheduled for Friday.
Chavez has been held in solitary for 10 years, confined alone in his cell for at least 23 hours a day. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Chavez filed his petition May 2014.
Martinez says he was placed in solitary in March 2014 after being implicated in another inmate's death. He was later cleared in the killing.
Corrections Department spokeswoman Alex Tomlin says some inmates in solitary need to work to gain back privileges before being released.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
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