http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-solitary-idUSKCN0V40ZG
On January 26th, President Obama announced a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system, saying "the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences." The new rules also dictate that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offense is 60 days, rather than the current maximum of 365 days.
Obama cited the story of Kalief Browder, a black 16-year-old who was arrested in 2010 and spent almost two years in solitary confinement in New York City's Rikers Island jail before his release in 2013. Although he received his GED and began school at a community college he committed suicide two years after his release due to the damaging effects that prolonged isolation had on his mental stability.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/nyregion/kalief-browder-held-at-rikers-island-for-3-years-without-trial-commits-suicide.html
Even though one of my field placements is at Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center, I was unaware that juveniles can be punished with solitary confinement. Knowing the effects it has on someone especially juveniles, I am surprised this form of punishment has not been banned sooner. The practice has extreme negative psychological consequences yet, we expect individuals to return to their communities and function normally.
I read about this the other day and am happy to hear there is now a ban on placing juvenile offenders in solitary confinement. I was not aware that the maximum time an offender could be placed in solitary confinement is 365 days. The thought of someone sitting in an isolated cell with no human contact is so disturbing, let alone for 365 days. This ban is definitely a step in the right direction considering the many consequences that occur from solitary confinement, such as the psychological issues you mentioned, and the article mentioned things such as withdrawal, depression, and violence are linked to solitary confinement. Your last sentence makes a fantastic point. We want our kids to be rehabilitated, yet we punish them and wonder why it is difficult for them to reintegrate back into society.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even realize that juveniles could be punished with solitary confinement, but I'm glad to know that there are now restrictions and bans against it. From looking at other articles posted, juveniles feel that others don't care about them and locking them up (in general as well as in terms of solitary confinement) reinforces that idea. How can we expect these juveniles to be rehabilitated when they don't have any human interaction? Rather, a group like the Capital Offenders from "Last Chance in Texas" would prove to be much for effective in helping juvenile offenders work through their issues and be able to return to society and become successful adults.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even realize that juveniles could be punished with solitary confinement, but I'm glad to know that there are now restrictions and bans against it. From looking at other articles posted, juveniles feel that others don't care about them and locking them up (in general as well as in terms of solitary confinement) reinforces that idea. How can we expect these juveniles to be rehabilitated when they don't have any human interaction? Rather, a group like the Capital Offenders from "Last Chance in Texas" would prove to be much for effective in helping juvenile offenders work through their issues and be able to return to society and become successful adults.
ReplyDelete