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Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons

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TheDemSocialist

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President Obama on Monday announced a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in the federal prison system, saying the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences.
In an op-ed that appears in Tuesday editions of The Washington Post, the president outlines a series of executive actions that also prohibit federal corrections officials from punishing prisoners who commit “low-level infractions” with solitary confinement.
The new rules also dictate that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offense is 60 days, rather than the current maximum of 365 days.
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Read more @: Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons

Even though this applies to only a select amount of prisoners I will have to say, "thanks Obama!". :applaud Solitary confinement is overused and I think it shouldnt be used on juveniles at all. These new regulations for federal prisons are something I applaud. I hope new regulations like these start to spread to more state prisons.. Its definitely a start. The prison industrial complex is in need of serious reforms.
 
Heck, if I was in prison surrounded by convicts I would WANT to be left alone.
 
Captain America said:
Heck, if I was in prison surrounded by convicts I would WANT to be left alone.
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If solitary confinement just meant being separated from other people but that I would still have access to books and music and other basic stimuli I would agree. But since it is usually meant as punishment I don't think that is the case.
 
TheDemSocialist said:
Read more @: Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons

Even though this applies to only a select amount of prisoners I will have to say, "thanks Obama!". :applaud Solitary confinement is overused and I think it shouldnt be used on juveniles at all. These new regulations for federal prisons are something I applaud. I hope new regulations like these start to spread to more state prisons.. Its definitely a start. The prison industrial complex is in need of serious reforms. [/FONT][/COLOR]
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This comes from the currently top rated post on Reddit:

I spent two years volunteering in a state juvenile facility designed for the most serious repeat offenders. I was given unprecedented access - pretty much whenever I wanted it - to the entire facility. I spent a lot of time with the kids and the staff (the nice word they use for guards in the official government handbook)
My experience taught me a few things. Of them...

1) The VAST (on the order of 90% and higher) majority of these kids have multiple diagnosed mental and/or behavioral disorders 2) Staff are ill equipped to deal with most of the behavioral and mental problems that affect juvenile delinquents because the positions are underpaid and unappreciated by the public 3) Being underpaid and under educated, solitary isolation is a tempting way to deal with a problem child until your shift is over. Then he's someone else's problem.

Isolation is, in many instances for which it is used, a cheap way out. And what can we expect? We'd rather spend the money that could be used on mental health treatment or rehabilitation on building walls and trying to forget about the problem.

It's too tempting for many of us to pretend that these kids are some manifestation of evil - a cheap and lazy, lazy, LAZY word - than to accept the unfortunate and complicated reality that most of them are otherwise normal kids whose minds suffer injury that can be repaired with the right treatment.
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It needed to happen, the long term effects of doing this as policy are documented well enough.
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Meanwhile 330,000 non violent drug offenders remain imprisoned....
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A most unfortunate stat, we still have a long way to go in convincing people to look at the "War on Drugs" in a new way.
 
In the civilized world - i.e. here in Canada - there are no juveniles serving time in federal prisons and no juveniles serving time in an prison where adults may also be serving. Even when a juvenile is convicted of a crime as an adult, the juvenile serves his/her time in a facility for juveniles until he/she reaches adulthood, where the new adult will be transferred to the appropriate facility.

While solitary confinement may be seen as a punishment, it may also be seen as a form of protection for both the inmate so isolated and/or for others he/she may be in contact with.

All those high fiving Obama on this move will be the first ones to wring their hands and moan the first time a juvenile is harmed or killed because he/she didn't have access to solitary confinement in one of your fine federal prisons.
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Meanwhile 330,000 non violent drug offenders remain imprisoned....
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Repercussions from the 3 strikes law were massive.
Then the war on specific drugs with extreme sentences for small amounts.
Then you have when a prisoner is released, employment aspects are bleak. Criminal record, difficult to receive a pardon.
 
MrT said:
This comes from the currently top rated post on Reddit:

The VAST (on the order of 90% and higher) majority of these kids have multiple diagnosed mental and/or behavioral disorders
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One has to question, based on the above, why the hell such juveniles are in federal prison? Punishing a juvenile, with a stay in federal prison, for their mental impairments seems a little 12th century.
 
There are about 2,000 under age 21 in Federal Prisons.

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_age.jsp

How many have been in solitary? Is the number above 0?

We dont know, but we do know this this is much ado about little....typical Obama.

Re "low level" offenders also not being allowed to be put in Solitary I have a problem with that....I dont care what you are in for, attack a guard or an inmate then the officials should be able to deal with you by punishing you solitary, though there should be length limits. If Trump is the next guy in the chair I think he overturns this order on day one, at least so far as making the original charge forbid solitary.
 
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CanadaJohn said:
In the civilized world - i.e. here in Canada - there are no juveniles serving time in federal prisons and no juveniles serving time in an prison where adults may also be serving. Even when a juvenile is convicted of a crime as an adult, the juvenile serves his/her time in a facility for juveniles until he/she reaches adulthood, where the new adult will be transferred to the appropriate facility.

While solitary confinement may be seen as a punishment, it may also be seen as a form of protection for both the inmate so isolated and/or for others he/she may be in contact with.

All those high fiving Obama on this move will be the first ones to wring their hands and moan the first time a juvenile is harmed or killed because he/she didn't have access to solitary confinement in one of your fine federal prisons.
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First of all, why you felt the need to take that last cheap shot is a mystery.

Second, what's your suggestion? What we know is solitary confinement can and often does have severe and long lasting mental health effects, and that these effects can be especially problematic for juveniles whose brains are still developing. So given that, what's your suggestion?
 
CanadaJohn said:
One has to question, based on the above, why the hell such juveniles are in federal prison? Punishing a juvenile, with a stay in federal prison, for their mental impairments seems a little 12th century.
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This is America. THE LAND OF FREEDOM!
 
ReverendHellh0und said:
Meanwhile 330,000 non violent drug offenders remain imprisoned....
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Translation 333,000 people who's final conviction was a "non violent drug offense" but were probably arrested for more
 
JasperL said:
First of all, why you felt the need to take that last cheap shot is a mystery.

Second, what's your suggestion? What we know is solitary confinement can and often does have severe and long lasting mental health effects, and that these effects can be especially problematic for juveniles whose brains are still developing. So given that, what's your suggestion?
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Firstly, the "cheap" shot, if you want to call it that, was at the author of the OP who was applauding the Obama move.

Secondly, I thought I was fairly clear in my comments - a) juveniles shouldn't be in federal prisons with adults and b) juveniles shouldn't be in federal prisons as punishment for their mental disabilities.
 
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