Claire M. Wheeler was quoted in an article in the Washington Times on August 9, 2017, regarding her pro bono representation of nine death row inmates who are suing the Florida Department of Corrections in saying that a policy automatically putting them in solitary confinement no matter what their behavior records is cruel and unusual punishment prohibited under the Eight Amendment. In addition, the policies violate the equal protection clause because inmates not on death row don’t receive the same treatment.
"What struck me was the psychological effects on people, and even if they didn’t have any sort of mental illness, already on death row, it’s inevitable," said Wheeler. "It’s an incredibly desperate and hopeless existence."