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Article CommentaryAnalysis and Commentary

Juvenile Solitary Confinement as a Form of Child Abuse

Andrew B. Clark
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online September 2017, 45 (3) 350-357;
Andrew B. Clark
Dr. Clark is Director of Forensic Mental Health at Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Formerly, Medical Director of the Children and the Law Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
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Abstract

Placing incarcerated juveniles into solitary confinement continues to occur in certain states of the United States, despite the accumulating evidence that it may cause substantial psychological damage to the teenagers who must endure it. The practice has been widely condemned by professional and human rights organizations, amid a growing appreciation of the immaturity and vulnerability of the adolescent brain. Although several states and the federal government have been successful in abolishing or dramatically reducing the use of juvenile solitary confinement, it remains common practice in many facilities. Clinicians working in correctional facilities where juvenile solitary confinement is employed are therefore faced with difficult questions of ethics, as to how best to balance their competing duties, and how to respond to such state-sanctioned ill treatment of their patients. Given the emerging consensus around the psychological damage wrought by sustained solitary confinement, clinicians may well reach the difficult conclusion that they are both legally mandated and ethically bound to file a report of suspected child abuse. Such a report would be unlikely to be investigated for administrative reasons, but it would allow clinicians to communicate the gravity of their concern effectively.

Footnotes

  • Disclosures of financial or other potential conflicts of interest: None.

  • © 2017 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
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Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online: 45 (3)
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
Vol. 45, Issue 3
1 Sep 2017
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Juvenile Solitary Confinement as a Form of Child Abuse
Andrew B. Clark
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Sep 2017, 45 (3) 350-357;

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Juvenile Solitary Confinement as a Form of Child Abuse
Andrew B. Clark
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online Sep 2017, 45 (3) 350-357;
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Impact of Solitary Confinement on Adults
    • Impact of Solitary Confinement on Juveniles
    • Decline in Juvenile Solitary Confinement
    • The Clinician's Dilemma
    • Solitary Confinement as Child Abuse
    • Conclusion
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    • References
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