U.S. President Barack Obama says he will ban the use of solitary confinement for juvenile and low-level offenders in federal prisons, citing the potential for “devastating, lasting psychological consequences” from the use of the isolation as punishment.
“It has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behaviour,” Mr. Obama wrote in an op-ed posted Monday evening on The Washington Post ’s website. Mr. Obama, who said the reforms will affect 10,000 prisoners, had asked the Justice Department to review the use of solitary confinement last summer, as part of the administration’s increased focus on the criminal justice system. Activists have been pushing for changes to the prison system.
