Report: Adolescents Held in Solitary

The practice makes screwy kids screwier

Young people are held in solitary confinement in jails and prisons across the United States, often for weeks or months at a time, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights said in a report released today.

The report, "Growing Up Locked Down: Youth in Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisons Across the United States," is based on research in both U.S. jails and prisons in five states ¬– Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania – and correspondence with young people in 14 others. The isolation of solitary confinement causes anguish, provokes serious mental and physical health problems, and works against rehabilitation for teenagers, the report found.