Our attorney Josh Cotter is dedicated to ending solitary confinement for juveniles. WNYC recently did a podcast series “Caught”, highlighting lives of youth trapped in the criminal justice system. Listen to our client Imani tell her story here.
“Solitary confinement is not allowed for inmates younger than 18 at federal and state-run facilities in New York, but for teens like Imani — held in a county jail, waiting for their cases to be heard — it’s a common practice. Local jails use solitary as punishment, and since many counties rarely have separate facilities for juveniles, isolation cells are also routinely used as holding cells for minors. ‘It made me feel like nothing, like an animal,’ Imani said of her 32 days spent in solitary. ‘Can’t call nobody, can’t talk to nobody. You just feel worthless.’” (source: The Marshall Project)
Josh’s recent cases have forced Onondaga County and Broome County to change their inhumane practices. Read the full decisions here and here and articles in the New Yorker and New York Times.