Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union just released an extensive report, Growing Up Locked Down – Youth in Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisons across the United States, provides further evidence about the misfit of holding youth in adult facilities. While not all youth end up in solitary confinement while in an adult facility, it is not uncommon as many adult facilities are poorly equipped to house youthful offenders and deal with some of their behaviors.

Citing data and case studies, the report estimates that nearly 95,000 persons under the age of 18 were held in adult facilities in 2011. For those held in solitary confinement (for “protection” or behavioral reasons) it often means being isolated for 22 hours a day, having limited or no access to needed mental health services, and all too often exacerbating the trauma they have already experienced in their lives. The assumptions that underlie this treatment are based on the fallacy that if a youth can commit a serious crime and be dealt with in the adult system, they must be an adult. The “adult time for an adult crime” mantra may be a catchy slogan, but applying it to how youth are treated in adult facilities is simply wrong. Check out the report OR watch a short video that highlights some of the issues and stories of confined youth.

The report affirms some simple principles that we should adhere to:
•Prohibit the housing of youth under the age of 18 in adult facilities
•Prohibit the use of solitary confinement for youth under the age of 18
•Regulate and monitor various forms of segregation and isolation for youth held in secure facilities

Holding youth in adult facilities does nothing in the long run to protect the community – if anything, it makes youthful offenders more likely to reoffend when they get out – and with rare exceptions, they all get out. We must do better.                        by Jim Moeser