Sponsors (25)
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Sydney Kamlager-Dove · Last progress July 23, 2025
The bill sharply reduces prolonged solitary confinement and increases procedural protections, transparency, and oversight for detained people, but does so at substantial short- to medium-term cost and administrative burden for federal, state, and local systems and could create operational, privacy, and funding trade-offs during implementation.
People held in federal and federally-funded detention (including people with disabilities, youth, pregnant people, and other vulnerable groups) would face far less prolonged solitary confinement and restrictive isolation, reducing severe mental and physical harms.
People in federal detention would gain concrete procedural protections, independent monitoring, and faster access to records (notice, hearings, representation, confidential monitors, expedited records, unannounced visits), improving due process and external oversight.
People in Federal facilities and those in jurisdictions receiving Byrne/JAG funds would get significantly increased out-of-cell time and structured programming (explicit hour requirements), supporting rehabilitation, social contact, and safer reentry outcomes.
State, local, and federal correctional systems and taxpayers will face substantial short- and medium-term costs to staff, train, retrofit facilities, provide mandated programming and medical reviews, and comply with reporting and monitoring requirements.
Jurisdictions that fail to meet certification requirements risk losing at least 10% of Byrne/JAG formula funding, potentially reducing crime-prevention and public-safety resources—especially affecting rural and resource-poor communities.
Expanded private lawsuits, tougher enforcement remedies, and broad access for monitors and visitors will increase litigation, administrative burdens, and potential legal conflicts for federal agencies and contractors.
Based on analysis of 11 sections of legislative text.
Bans most solitary in federal custody, sets minimum out-of-cell interaction and new oversight, ties JAG funding to ending solitary, and narrows some prisoner civil claims.
Ends most uses of solitary confinement in federal custody by banning prolonged isolation, requiring minimum out-of-cell congregate interaction, creating an independent community monitoring body with broad access and reporting powers, and directing all federal agencies to adopt new standards and oversight. It conditions certain Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne) funding on state and local compliance, narrows some civil claims for emotional injury by incarcerated persons, and bans use of appropriated funds for building or improving spaces intended to create more restrictive confinement. The bill sets a 60-day effective deadline after enactment, requires agencies to implement new rules, mandates monitoring and reporting, authorizes appropriations to implement the law, and restricts specific construction and procurement that would expand restrictive environments in facilities holding people in custody.