3 men, 1 woman on Zoom call

Local Justice Administrators Concerned About COVID-19, Solitary

At a time when COVID-19 cases continue to rise at correctional facilities across the country, Deidra Bridgeforth considers herself lucky. Leading the juvenile detention system in Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes the city of Memphis, Bridgeforth seems almost surprised their detention system has been spared from the virus.

solitary: Man in car marked NJJJC looks out the open front left window.

COVID-19 Isolation for Youths Raises Concerns in New Jersey

On July 11, 2019, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy used the power of his pen to seize a unique political opportunity: putting his signature on one of the most ground-breaking laws in the country limiting the use of solitary confinement for juveniles.

room confinement: The door to a cell.

Reducing Room Confinement of Youth in Custody: A Roadmap

In recent years, juvenile justice practitioners, researchers and advocates have raised awareness of the harms of room confinement or isolation of youth in detention and residential facilities. Research and empirical knowledge teach us that the practice can negatively impact youth’s developing brains and emotional health, impair youth’s relationships with staff, limit youth’s access to important programming and treatment, and ultimately lead to unsafe facility environments.

solitary: Thoughtful Lonely Young Boy Sitting on the Floor Inside an Isolated Room and Waiting for Hope Against Black Background

More States Need to Limit Solitary Confinement, Which Doesn’t Work

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) approved a resolution in 2016 to limit the use of solitary for young people, urging judges to take leadership positions in the effort. We recently presented to NCJFCJ’s annual conference seeking to highlight the role that judges can and should play in ending solitary. We presented recent reforms in Colorado as proof that success can be achieved.

Mental health: Child in Prison. Concept sign for all forms of child abuse like physical punishment or mental cruelty

Only Some Correctional Staff Being Taught How to Handle Traumatized Inmates

Steven Cave’s transformation happened in spite of a system that calls itself correctional but instead, he says, perpetuated his worst traumas, beliefs and behaviors. He entered that system in the state that has sentenced the most minors to life without parole, and where solitary confinement was a favorite method of punishment. In 2013, the Department of Justice found the state’s use of it in several facilities was unconstitutional.