Sponsors (25)
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove · Last progress July 23, 2025
The bill aims to end or sharply restrict prolonged solitary confinement and increase transparency and rehabilitation supports—improving health, rights, and oversight for detained people—while imposing sizable implementation costs, new administrative burdens, potential short-term safety trade-offs, and uncertain effects from ambiguous definitions and funding restrictions.
People held in federal, state, and local custody (including people with disabilities, those with mental-health/substance-use needs, pregnant people, and immigrants) would spend far less time in prolonged solitary and receive at least 14 hours/day out-of-cell time and increased access to congregate programming and services, improving mental health and rehabilitation.
Families and communities would likely experience better reentry outcomes and community safety because incarcerated people get more out-of-cell programming and supports that can reduce recidivism.
Over time taxpayers could benefit from reduced correctional costs and lower recidivism if eliminating or reducing solitary leads to fewer admissions, shorter stays, or less intensive supervision.
Taxpayers, federal agencies, and state/local governments will face substantial new costs to implement alternatives to solitary: hiring staff, expanding programming, medical reviews, training, facility modifications, and compliance monitoring.
States and localities that do not meet the Act's requirements risk at least a 10% cut to JAG funds, which could meaningfully reduce resources for local public safety and programs.
Restrictions on solitary, lockdowns, restraints, and other disciplinary tools could constrain administrators' ability to control violent incidents or large-scale disturbances, potentially raising short-term safety risks for staff and other incarcerated people if alternatives are not yet effective.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits routine solitary in federal custody, mandates minimum daily out‑of‑cell congregate hours and programming, creates independent monitors, and ties JAG grants to compliance.
Bans routine solitary confinement in federal facilities and replaces it with strict minimum standards for out‑of‑cell, congregate interaction (including daily hours for programming and recreation), while allowing only narrow, time‑limited exceptions for counts, emergencies, and specific security needs. It creates independent community monitors and an Inspector General advisory body, conditions certain federal grant funds on ending solitary at state and local levels, updates definitions and civil‑rights recovery rules for people placed in solitary, requires agencies to adopt the law into their policies, and directs Congress to appropriate funds while forbidding use of appropriations to build or retrofit restrictive confinement spaces or install devices that limit movement.