Solitary Watch

  • Our
    New Book
  • Facts &
    Resources
  • Photo Requests
    from Solitary
  • Lifelines
    to Solitary
  • About
    SW
  • Support
    Our Work
James Ridgeway, 1936–2021

By Jean Casella | February 17, 2021

  • All
  • News
  • Features
  • Alternatives
  • Seven Days in Solitary
  • Voices from Solitary

executive orders

What Obama's Actions Mean for Solitary Confinement in America's Prisons

January 27, 2016May 6, 2020 Jean Casella
Barack Obama

Citing the “devastating, lasting psychological consequences” of solitary confinement, President Barack Obama on Monday evening announced a set of policy changes designed to dramatically reduce the use of prison isolation. The changes, which apply only to the federal prison system, will have a limited initial impact on the total number of people held in solitary, […]