A federal judge has signed off on an agreement between Arizona and an inmate to end a claim of racial segregation in the state's 10 prisons.
U.S. District Court Judge Cindy Jorgenson in Tucson issued the order on Monday.
Arizona denies that it segregates inmates based on race but will now roll out an integration program and track progress. The process will end in 2021.
The agreement came after a year of negotiations involving the civil rights lawsuit filed in 2013 by inmate Stephen Rudisil alleging the state Department of Corrections violates the Constitution by using race-based housing and work assignments.
Rudisill, an African-American, says he was housed with another African-American who pressured him into joining a gang.
Arizona is believed to be one of the only states that uses race in housing assignments.
