TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 7, 2021

Tennessee lawmakers have passed legislation preventing juvenile detention centers from keeping children in solitary confinement for long stretches, NewsChannel 5 reports. Specifically, the legislation prohibits seclusion for "punishment" or "administrative convenience" for more than six hours in a 24-hour period. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, led the charge to change the law and credited NewsChannel 5's investigative report “Broken” for bringing the issue to light. The reporting in 2019 focused on the Maury County Juvenile Detention Center, where staff said children were confined in their cells for up to 24 hours at a time for no apparent reason.