In the history of American incarceration, solitary confinement has been the primary choice for punishing inmates’ prison administrators think are a threat to the institution or the general population. This practice can have lasting consequences to the health of prisoners placed in solitary confinement for extended periods. Recently, President Obama joined the chorus of those who advocate for a change in this practice.
In his Jan. 25 opinion piece in the Washington Post, President Obama described the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent recommendation to ban solitary confinement for juveniles and to limit the use of solitary confinement in all federal prisons.
“I am adopting [the Justice Department’s recommendations] to reform the federal prison system. These include banning solitary confinement for juveniles and as a response to low-level infractions, expanding treatment for the mentally ill and increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells,” said Obama. “[This] hopefully [will] serve as a model for state and local corrections systems.”
President Obama cited the case of 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who served nearly two years in solitary confinement on New York’s Rikers Island. Browder was awaiting trial for the alleged theft of a backpack. Browder, who was released in 2013, never stood trial and committed suicide later that year. Browder’s suicide was attributed to his struggle to recover from the trauma that he had suffered from being locked up 23 hours a day.
President Obama additionally noted, “(Solitary confinement) has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others…. Prisoners in solitary are more likely to commit suicide, especially juveniles and people with mental illnesses.”
President Obama also drew a connection between prison practices and their effect on public safety, asking, “How can we subject prisoners to unnecessary solitary confinement, knowing its effects, and then expect them to return to our communities as whole people? It doesn’t make us safer. It’s an affront to our common humanity.”
President Obama stated:
As many as 100,000 people are held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons – including juveniles and people with mental illnesses.
As many as 25,000 inmates are serving months, and even years, in tiny cells with almost no human contact.
Obama’s reform will impact some 10,000 federal prisoners who are held in solitary confinement. However, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the vast majority of juveniles held in custody are in state and county facilities where solitary confinement is still common practice. It remains to be seen whether these institutions will take a cue from President Obama and the U.S. Justice Department and adopt these reforms for those in their custody.
Visit www.stopsolitaryforkids.org or #stopsolitaryforkids for more information.
