WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he is banning the use of solitary confinement to punish juvenile offenders in federal prisons.
Obama says the practice of isolating prisoners can cause long-term psychological effects, particularly when used to punish young offenders and the mentally ill.
Obama announced the ban Monday evening in an op-ed on the Washington Post. It comes as part of a package of reforms aimed at curbing the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons.
The president says the changes will ensure that solitary confinement is a practice of “last resort” used when prisoners present a danger to themselves or others.
He says the new policy will affect 10,000 prisoners.
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More good news in the same vein. Scalia, Thomas and Alito dissented. No surprise there.
Solitary confinement meets the definition of a cruel and unusual punishment and should be used only in extreme circumstances. No doubt it’s over utilized here.
There goes Obama again, trying to up his poll numbers and appear all saintly before his next election bid.
10,000 juveniles in federal prisons. Unbelievable number. What has happened to this country?
“He says the new policy will affect 10,000 prisoners.”
“used to punish young offenders and the mentally ill.”
What in the hell (because that is where they are) are 10,000 young offenders and mentally ill people doing in Federal Prisons in the first place?
Besides helping the “private Prison” Industry make money, that is.
Seriously, with such a high percentage of people put into the slammer, there ought to be more done. Like, Pardoning them, for example, on a case by case basis. Or getting them OUT of the criminal factories before prison compounds their problems, someone gets hurt, and we have to put them back, because where we kept them make them criminals.
Other countries do not do this. Why do we?