Stop Holding Juveniles in Solitary Confinement in Federal Prisons

Solitary confinement hurts teens psychologically and emotionally. It violates the United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, which the United States supports.

The psychological and emotional effects of solitary confinement can be severe and long-lasting. They include depression, anxiety, visual and auditory hallucinations, insomnia, paranoia, rage, fear, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Juvenile prisoners are "19 times more likely to kill themselves in isolation than in general population."

The toll that solitary confinement takes makes it harder for teens to reintegrate into society after they leave prison. Federal prisons must not lock juveniles up in solitary confinement.