The American Academy of Pediatrics has endorsed NCCHC’s position statement calling for reducing or stopping the use of restrictive housing for incarcerated youths and establishing clear guidelines for when it cannot be avoided.

“Restrictive housing, unless necessary for medical isolation, is not developmentally appropriate or a safe, effective way to care for youth in correctional settings,” said AAP Committee on Adolescence Chair Elizabeth M. Alderman, M.D., FSAHM, FAAP.

She noted that the NCCHC position statement augments the 2020 AAP policy statement Advocacy and Collaborative Health Care for Justice-Involved Youth. That policy opposes solitary confinement for juveniles in correctional facilities and “provides important guidance for all professionals working with youth in juvenile correction settings,” Dr. Alderman said.

Restrictive housing should be the last alternative after trying other behavioral management strategies, said Paula Braverman, M.D., FSAHM, FAAP, the AAP liaison to the NCCHC board of representatives and former chair of the AAP Committee on Adolescence.

Find out more: https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/10/25/restrictivehousing102521

NCCHC Position Statement on Restrictive Housing for in Juvenile Correctional Settings