NYC to End Solitary for Jailed Teens

In a memo to Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City's Jails Commissioner Joseph Ponte detailed plans to end the longstanding practice of solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds for breaking rules. New York, which has the nation’s second-largest jail system, was the target of a tough Department of Justice review that accused the city of using the method too often on teens. In one 21-month period, about 150 teens a month received solitary, which led to a total at 143,823 days of isolation combined. Every day, there’s an average of 50 teens in isolation.