Time spent in solitary confinement drops dramatically in Illinois youth facilities

Jessica Feierman, the associate director at the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center, who has been studying the use of solitary in juvenile systems, said the agencies that have eliminated or significantly reduced the use of solitary have actually created safer facilities for staff and youths.

“The practice of solitary confinement is so harmful,” she said, “that states are recognizing this isn’t a way to treat children.”