Topic #2 facts that I have uncovered that surprise me.

Many organizations in New York State and around the Country agree that isolating teens and children in solitary confinement is detrimental psychologically and emotionally. During my research on the use of solitary confinement for teenagers I was most surprised by the fact that many states, including New York are still using solitary confinement on young people, while institutional changes are being made to change the way that prisons deal with situations that used to be solved with solitary confinement. President Barack Obama signed an executive order to ban the use of solitary confinement for teenagers in federal prison, however no such order was signed for state and local facilities. Most young people who are incarcerated are in either state, local or private institutions, which means that they may still be subject to the harsh and cruel punishment of solitary confinement despite a federal ban. The United Nations has also stated that solitary confinement for teenagers is unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment, but even today many youth in state, local and private jails are still held in solitary confinement. This was a shocking fact to uncover .