Mentally Ill juvenile was kept in isolation for at least 178 of the 225 days he was in the custody of the justice commission, the suit claimed. At one point, he was locked in his cell for 22 consecutive days, allowed out only for hygiene.
TRENTON – New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Commission and Rutgers University have agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a federal lawsuit over the solitary confinement of two troublesome teenage boys who were locked away for long stretches while in state custody. Some advocates for children hope the case will become a flash point in the debate over solitary confinement. Corrections officials consider the practice a needed tool, while others say it makes it harder for juvenile detention centers to achieve their goal of helping kids get better. Read the article HERE.