Combating Excessive Use of Juvenile Solitary Confinement

Attorney General Holder Speaks Out Against Excessive Use of Solitary Confinement for Juveniles with Disabilities

Attorney General Holder spoke out against excessive use of isolation and solitary confinement for young people with disabilities at juvenile detention centers, saying that juvenile incarceration must be used "to rehabilitate, and not merely to warehouse and forget." Citing reports that described young people being held in confinement for up to 23 hours a day, the Attorney General called for an end to unnecessary or excessive seclusion of youth with disabilities, which can be counterproductive and in some cases extremely harmful.