Kings County Criminal Bar Association praises judge’s order to stop use of solitary confinement on children
In what is being hailed as a landmark case, a U.S. District Court judge issued an order to have the Justice Center jail in Syracuse immediately stop putting children in solitary confinement as it violates the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
The move was immediately praised by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), who filed the lawsuit, and locally by the Kings County Criminal Bar Association (KCCBA).
“This is a great decision for juvenile justice rights and recognizes that the justice system cannot treat 16- and 17-year-old children the same as adults,” KCCBA President Michael Cibella said. “Hopefully, the state will take notice and also soon pass legislation so that these same-aged children in New York are never even tried as adults, as they are now.”