The New York Times spoke with ACLU Senior Attorney Adam Schwartz on the recent federal court approval ending solitary confinement for juveniles detained in Illinois. The approval comes as part of ACLU litigation that seeks to improve conditions and services available to the young people confined at state-run juvenile justice facilities across Illinois.  Schwartz told the Times:

“What we would say is that if you get to leave your room and be in the company of staff, and have the opportunity to talk to them for eight hours every single day, there’s no longer solitary confinement,” Mr. Schwartz said. “You don’t need to use solitary confinement to keep a prison safe. We think that these new rules are consistent with running a safe and rehabilitative prison system.”

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