President Obama Bans Solitary Confinement for Juveniles

As the first sitting President to ever visit a federal prison, President Obama continues to make changes by enacting legislation that’s bringing groundbreaking changes to the U.S. prison system. In October, the justice department released 6000 prisoners; the largest one-time release of federal prisoners in the history of the United States. This was in an effort to prevent overcrowding and to relieve prisoners convicted of drug-related crimes who had received harsh sentences over the past thirty years.

Today, the President announced a ban on solitary confinement for juveniles being held in the federal prison system. In an op-ed piece released tonight, the President Obama explains that the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating mental and psychological consequences. In the President’s op-ed piecehe started with the horrific story of Kalief Browder. Kalief was the 16 year old young man from the Bronx who was accused of stealing a backpack and was sent to Rikers Island to await his trial. He endured “unspeakable violence at the hands of inmates and guards — and spent nearly two years in solitary confinement.” Browder had attempted to take his life several times while in prison. At age 19 and after three years of hell on Rikers Island, Kalief was released and the charges against him were dropped. Although his unjust imprisonment had made him famous, and he was welcomed by celebrities like Jay-Z and Rosie O’Donnell, Kalief was fighting a psychological battle. Unfortunately, in June 2016, at the age of 22, Browder took his life. This young man had no psychological issues prior to being locked up in Rikers for three years.

Read more about Kalief Browder

President Obama has taken measures to try to ensure that these types of horrible circumstances won’t happen to other teens around the country. President Obama stated:

Research suggests that 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.

He explains how solitary confinement leads to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behavior. Which is a major reason why so many inmates are released and find it hard to adjust when they return to their families. He continues:

As president, my most important job is to keep the American people safe. And since I took office, overall crime rates have decreased by more than 15 percent. In our criminal justice system, the punishment should fit the crime — and those who have served their time should leave prison ready to become productive members of society. 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.

In order to make major changes and reforms in the federal prison system, President Obama along with Attorney General Loretta Lynch and the Justice department have:

1. banned solitary confinement for juveniles and as a response to low-level infractions
2. expanded treatment for the mentally ill
3. increased the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells

These changes will affect 10,000 prisoners currently being held in solitary confinement.

The president ends his op-ed piece with these words:

In America, we believe in redemption. We believe, in the words of Pope Francis, that “every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.” We believe that when people make mistakes, they deserve the opportunity to remake their lives. And if we can give them the hope of a better future, and a way to get back on their feet, then we will leave our children with a country that is safer, stronger and worthy of our highest ideals.

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