Obama, citing Pope, bans juvenile solitary confinement

January 28, 2016

Writing in The Washington Post, President Barack Obama said that he would make changes to the federal prison system, including “banning solitary confinement for juveniles and as a response to low-level infractions, expanding treatment for the mentally ill and increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells.”

In doing so, he quoted Pope Francis’s September 24 address to the US Congress.

The president stated:

In America, we believe in redemption. We believe, in the words of Pope Francis, that “every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.” We believe that when people make mistakes, they deserve the opportunity to remake their lives. And if we can give them the hope of a better future, and a way to get back on their feet, then we will leave our children with a country that is safer, stronger and worthy of our highest ideals.

 

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Further information:

• Barack Obama: Why we must rethink solitary confinement (The Washington Post)
• Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in fed prisons (AP)