President Obama has banned solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prison.
The ban is one of many reforms he announced on Monday, six months after he asked Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Department of Justice to look at the use of solitary confinement in prisons across the nation. In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, President Obama outlined the problems with solitary.
Solitary confinement has the potential to lead to devastating, lasting psychological consequences. It has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behavior. Some studies indicate that it can worsen existing mental illnesses and even trigger new ones. Prisoners in solitary are more likely to commit suicide, especially juveniles and people with mental illnesses.
Obama began his op-ed with the story of Khalief Browder, who was accused of stealing a backpack in 2010 at the age of 16. Khalief was sent to Rikers where "he reportedly endured unspeakable violence at the hands of inmates and guards — and spent nearly two years in solitary confinement." He never actually even stood trial. In 2013 he was released, but adjusting to the outside was tough for him after spending formative years in solitary. At 22, Khalief killed himself.
The obstacles that Browder faced after being released are not unusual for those who have spent time in solitary. As President Obama stated:
Those who do make it out often have trouble holding down jobs, reuniting with family and becoming productive members of society. Imagine having served your time and then being unable to hand change over to a customer or look your wife in the eye or hug your children.
The practice is not uncommon: There are about 100,000 incarcerated men and women in solitary confinement today. And, as the president notes, 25,000 of those people are spending "months, even years of their sentences alone in a tiny cell, with almost no human contact."
Monday’s executive actions include more than just the ban on solitary confinement for juveniles. President Obama stated:
The Justice Department has completed its review, and I am adopting its 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 cell.
According to the Washington Post, these reforms will also:
prohibit federal corrections officials from punishing prisoners who commit “low-level infractions” with solitary confinement. 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.
It's great to see President Obama take steps to end some of the most shameful and torturous parts of our criminal justice system. The total ban on juvenile solitary confinement will not affect a lot of people—only 13 juveniles are reported to be in solitary in federal prison right now. The other reforms he announced, however, are expected to affect thousands. The Washington Post reports that “federal officials sent adults inmates to solitary for nonviolent offenses 3,800 times in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2014.”
Let's hope and pray that those states which haven’t already enacted reforms decide to follow the president’s lead. While this is a great first step, there's still more to do. Next step? End solitary confinement for all.