Last week the Cleveland Plain Dealer published an op-ed by Leah Winsberg about the Stop Solitary Ohio Campaign. Here is a link to the op-ed. http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/end_solitary_confinement_for_o.html Some people have asked for talking points about what they can say to others about the campaign. Here they are: Ohio has not law preventing solitary confinement of youth. This is the first statewide campaign in the country seeking to prevent youth from being placed in solitary confinement in ANY out-of-home placement except for the briefest times for intervention. This includes, state juvenile and adult facilities, adult jails, youth detention centers, and residential treatment facilities. The petition asks Ohio to regulate and monitor any use, disallowing solitary as a means of punishment, and no extended periods of time so that kids can get their constitutional right to education, health and medical care, and recreation. There is an effort to collect individual signatures on the petition but organizations have also joined the campaign as official endorsers. These organizations are: American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio The AMOS Project Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio Family and Youth Law Center, Capital University Law School Juvenile Justice Coalition Interfaith Association of Central Ohio Social Justice Task Force Lighthouse Youth Services National Alliance on Mental Illness – Ohio National Association of Social Workers, Ohio Chapter National Juvenile Defender Center National Prison Watch Network National Religious Campaign Against Torture Office of the Ohio Public Defender Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Ohio Council of Churches Ohio Empowerment Coalition Ohio Federation for Children’s Mental Health Ohio Justice and Policy Center Racial Justice Now! Student Alliance for Prison Reform Youth on Assignment YouthMove Ohio The campaign is multi-faceted and includes a dedicated spot on CLC’s website, a petition that is on Change.org, a Fact Sheet, a Call to Action sheet, a Take Action sheet, and a video. The website also contains numerous resources for attorneys and others who are interested in the subject. The materials on the campaign can be found at: http://www.childrenslawky.org/stop-solitary-confinement/