Pennsylvania's jails and prisons continue to use the cruel and harmful practice of solitary confinement on our state's incarcerated populations. This practice is particularly damaging for incarcerated juveniles. Please sign this petition, urging Pennsylvania legislators to end solitary confinement in our state. 

Here are some important facts about the damaging effects of solitary confinement, courtesy of Stop Solitary for Kids:

Solitary can have long-lasting and devastating effects on youth, including trauma, psychosis, depression, anxiety, and increased risk of suicide and self-harm. Solitary confinement can also exacerbate pre-existing mental health disorders. Research shows that more than half of all suicides in juvenile facilities occurred while young people were held in isolation. Solitary deprives youth of needed programs and services. Many youth in solitary do not receive appropriate education, mental health services, or drug treatment.

More than one-third of youth in facilities report being isolated. More than half of those youth report being in solitary confinement for more than 24 hours. Based on their overrepresentation in juvenile facilities, vulnerable populations – LGBTQ youth, youth with disabilities and mental health disorders, youth of color - are likely to be affected by solitary confinement. 

Solitary makes facilities, youth, and staff less safe. There is no evidence that using solitary confinement reduces the levels of violence or that it acts as a deterrent. The use of isolation damages relationships between youth and staff and contributes to a volatile institutional environment. Solitary confinement can actually increase misbehavior, while jurisdictions that have reduced solitary have seen incidents of violence decrease.

In January 2020, Pennsylvania legislators (Senator Larry Farnese and Representative Tina Davis) introduced bills to significantly limit solitary confinement, including for youth under the age of 21. SB 832 and HB 497 apply to state and county facilities, as well as any facility which confines a juvenile. 

While SB 832 limits solitary for most adults to 15 days, §5103 explicitly bans solitary for anyone under the age of 21. Instead institutions or clinicians must screen youth to determine if they meet the standards for civil commitment and, if so, place them in a specialized unit or the least restrictive short-term care or psychiatric facility.