Limits on solitary are sorely needed, and I completely agree that segregation is no way to treat a mentally ill inmate.

The article touches on the safety of prison staff, but what about the safety of other inmates?  Inmate-on-inmate violence is up nearly 100% in the last decade.  

I am not sure how to protect staff and inmates from habitually violent offenders without segregating them.  Hard limits on the duration of confinement will likely make the problem worse.