Durbin Commends President Obama's Leadership in Addressing Solitary Confinement

Statement

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today praised President Obama's decision to ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles -- a move he called for at Senate hearing he chaired in 2014. Durbin is the lead Democratic cosponsor of bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation -- the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 -- which includes a similar ban. The legislation also grants judges greater sentencing flexibility for certain low-level offenders and establishes recidivism reduction programs, while targeting violent criminals. President Obama called for the passage of criminal justice reform legislation in an op-ed that ran in the Washington Post today.

"President Obama's announcement that he will ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in the federal corrections system, and reform and limit its use in other populations is backed by growing evidence that conditions in extreme isolation can be severe, lead to serious long-lasting harm, and actually increase the threat to public safety. As he said in his op-ed today, in America, "we believe that when people make mistakes, they deserve the opportunity to remake their lives.' To that end, I will continue working with my colleagues to enact smart, fair reforms to our justice system," said Durbin.

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