Solitary Confinement Issues

 Read about Solitary Confinement Issues in Prisons (retrieved from NEWSELA):

In 2010, a teen named Kalief Browder was accused of stealing a backpack. He was 16 years old. Kalief was put in jail in New York. Other prisoners and guards beat him up. He was hurt very badly. Kalief also spent almost two years in solitary confinement. He was locked up alone for 23 hours a day.

In 2013, Kalief was released. He never went on trial. He went to college. Yet he never was able to recover from his time in jail. One Saturday, he killed himself at home. He was just 22 years old.

Too many prisoners, like Kalief, live in solitary confinement. What happens is heartbreaking. It is why my government is working to solve this problem.

In A Tiny Cell

About 100,000 people are in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. This number includes teens. It also includes people with mental health problems. As many as 25,000 prisoners live months or years alone in a tiny cell. They almost never see other people.

Solitary confinement can have terrible, lasting results. People in solitary confinement can become sad and lonely. They may stay away from other people. They can become violent.  Prisoners in solitary are more likely to kill themselves, especially young people.

Also, ex-prisoners can have a hard time keeping jobs. They may not know how to live with their families. Some of them cannot even hug their children.

My most important job is to keep the American people safe. Solitary confinement does not make us safer.

Everyone Deserve A Second Chance

I asked the Justice Department a question. It is in charge of jails. I asked if too many prisoners are in solitary. The government department found that sometimes solitary is necessary. Sometimes prisoners must be kept separate to protect them. Other times, they must be kept separate to protect jail workers and other prisoners.

The Justice Department came up with ideas. Young people under 18 should not be in solitary confinement. Prisoners with mental health problems should get more help. Prisoners in solitary should spend more time outside of their cells. Also, only prisoners who do terrible things should be in solitary. Jail officials should use it only if they have to.

In America, everyone deserves a second chance. People make mistakes. They should be able to start over again. We need to give prisoners the hope of a better future. If we do this, our country will be safer and stronger.