The Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, December 10, 2015. (Photo: Jacob Hannah / The New York Times)
“Obama Bans Solitary for Juveniles,” blared yesterday’s headlines. But as usual, the mainstream press missed the real story.
President Obama did issue an executive order banning solitary confinement for juveniles in the federal prison system, and journalists can’t really be blamed for missing the real story, as Obama wrote an op-ed, which led with the story of 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who committed suicide after being held in solitary at Rikers Island prison in New York City. However, the fact is, according to the US Department of Justice, there are just 45 juveniles housed in federal prisons, only 13 of whom are in solitary. Ironically, the federal government does have jurisdiction over thousands of children, many of whom are held in isolation, but they are held in immigration detention centers, which appear to be excluded from this executive order.
However, the order does have implications that reach beyond its immediate effects. There are over 2 million people incarcerated in the United States, and between 80,000 and 100,000 of them are in solitary. What does the president’s action mean for them? Actually, quite a bit, because the president’s orders go far beyond banning solitary for juveniles and dramatically change solitary for adult prisoners held in the federal system.