Editorial: No to Solitary Confinement

The application of solitary confinement on incarcerated youths is a cruel punishment harmful to their health, and it must be abolished.

That is the goal of Senate Bill 124 introduced by California Senator Mark Leno. The measure forbids putting teenage prisoners with mental disorders on solitary confinement, and limits use of the disciplinary measure to the minimum time necessary to address imminent safety risks, not to exceed four hours.

Currently, solitary confinement is used both as punishment and as a way to control mentally ill inmates. A 2002 court order banned the use of the worst punishments of this type, but isolation is still in use. Solitary confinement for seven days has harmful psychological effects and reduces brain function, according to a report published by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2014.

A Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation determined that isolation is the worst thing that can be done to a youth. Federal authorities say that it causes paranoia, anxiety and depression on young inmates. Additionally, a DoJ study on juvenile suicide found that almost two thirds of the youths who killed themselves had a history of solitary confinement, and nearly half of them did it while in isolation.

As of today, there is no information on how often or how many teenagers undergo solitary confinement. Senator Leno’s bill requires collection and publication of this data, and includes provisions to strengthen the oversight of county and regional Juvenile Justice Commissions.

The bill, introduced in January, is the third attempt to ban this aberrant punishment in jails. Last year, former Senator Leland Yee withdrew a similar bill when he was arrested for corruption. In 2012, opposition coming from two Democratic senators prevented yet another comparable proposal from passing.

We hope that, this year, SB 124 will have a more favorable fate. It is unacceptable that youths are applied a punishment that is already inhumane for an adult. There must be some hope for rehabilitation for juvenile prisoners. Solitary confinement does not help them; it damages them psychologically and thwarts their recovery.