The Dangers Of Solitary Confinement

Solitary confinement is unquestionably one of the most common, damaging, and counterproductive practices that occurs in juvenile justice facilities. Each year, thousands of young people are subjected to solitary confinement in juvenile and adult facilities across the country. Administrators and staff who supervise youth in the juvenile justice system have a fundamental responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the youth in their care. Solitary confinement can cause psychological and emotional harm, trauma, depression, anxiety, and increased risk of self-harm. It can also exacerbate mental illness and post traumatic stress responses suffered by many youth in the juvenile justice system. Sadly, research shows that more than half of youth who commit suicide inside facilities do so in solitary confinement.

Because of limited resources, facility administrators and staff often use solitary confinement for youth with unaddressed mental health, behavioral, or developmental needs. Because youth in solitary confinement don’t have access to behavioral health services, education, and treatment, solitary confinement undermines the very purpose of juvenile justice facilities – rehabilitation.

Solitary Doesn’t Work

Solitary confinement undercuts the primary goal of facility administrators and staff who employ it: preserving the safety and security of an institution. Solitary confinement has a long history as a common tool to respond to youth behavior despite the fact there is no research to prove that it’s actually effective. To the contrary, experience shows that solitary confinement is ineffective at reducing behavioral incidents and may actually increase violent behavior in youth. 

Reform Is Possible

Between 2014 and 2015, the agency reduced room confinement by 89% and acts of violence by 22%. The Oregon Youth Authority also lowered the number of times isolation was used from 370 instances in July 2016 to 140 instances in December 2018. Other states and local jurisdictions have also taken steps to reform the use of juvenile solitary confinement on youth. Some efforts have taken the form of agency policy change or statewide legislation, others have been in response to litigation and legislation.
The Stop Solitary for Kids mission is to safely end the practice of solitary confinement for youth in juvenile and adult facilities across the country. Stop Solitary for Kids is a national initiative created by four diverse partner organizations with expertise in juvenile justice reform. The partner organizations include advocates, researchers, communications specialists, policy consultants, and facility superintendents and agency administrators of juvenile justice agencies. We focus on developing solutions that can create measurable and lasting change to end solitary. Our work includes public education, research, legislative education, policy reform, improved facility practices, and technical assistance.