‘something Needs To Change’: Report Details Isolation At Nc Juvenile Detention Centers

By Rachel Crumpler

Teenagers successful immoderate North Carolina juvenile detention centers are spending astir nan full time locked successful their cells — sometimes allowed retired for only 1 aliases 2 hours — according to a yearlong reappraisal of nan state’s 13 juvenile detention centers by Disability Rights North Carolina.

In a 52-page report published Thursday, Feb. 19, nan nonprofit ineligible and defense statement outlined wide variety among nan state’s juvenile detention centers — 3 of which are county-operated — each overseen by nan N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

Differences ranged from nan magnitude of clip spent wrong locked cells to disciplinary practices, acquisition services and recreation time. The study alleges that astir detention centers break state policies governing their operations, including nan usage of solitary confinement-like conditions — defined arsenic much than 22 hours a time of isolation — pinch what it describes arsenic “frequency and normalcy” successful 5 of nan facilities.

The monitoring inaugural began successful July 2024 aft nan statement received an uptick of complaints astir conditions successful definite facilities, said Cari Carson, supervising lawyer connected Disability Rights NC’s acquisition team. What started arsenic a scheme to reappraisal a mates of accommodation expanded to each of them, Carson said, aft early visits revealed wide variations successful policies and surviving conditions from 1 halfway to another.

In 1 case, nan organization’s findings prompted almost contiguous action. During a precocious 2024 sojourn to nan juvenile detention halfway successful Madison County — a installation tally by nan section sheriff’s agency — Disability Rights NC recovered conditions truthful “egregious,” Carson said, that each nan younker were moved wrong astir 1 month, and juveniles are nary longer placed there. 

Youth who were detained astatine nan installation reported prolonged solitary confinement — up to 120 days aliases 4 months of back-to-back stints of isolation — and abusive subject practices, including nan usage of capsicum spray and tasers, according to nan report.

“You locomotion into 1 and you person nary thought what you’re going to spot aliases study aliases hear,” Carson said. “How you are treated and nan opportunities that you person should not dangle connected which installation you hap to beryllium assigned to.”

As North Carolina’s federally designated protection and defense organization, Disability Rights NC has nan ineligible authority to show accommodation wherever group pinch disabilities unrecorded aliases person services, including nan state’s juvenile detention centers, wherever a significant information of nan organization has intelligence and developmental disabilities. 

The study comes arsenic admissions and lengths of enactment successful detention centers person accrued successful caller years.

North Carolina’s juvenile justness strategy is intended to beryllium much rehabilitative than punitive, pinch an oculus toward preparing young group to return to their communities. Detention centers are expected to supply education, curen and programming. 

But nan caller study raises questions astir whether that ngo is being met.

Limited clip retired of cells

Disability Rights NC’s yearlong monitoring revealed stark differences successful really overmuch clip detained younker spent extracurricular their locked rooms, which mean astir 8 by 10 feet.

Carson said clip retired of compartment — for school, recreation, therapy and different programming — is simply a cardinal measurement of whether accommodation are providing opportunities for rehabilitation. 

In only 3 accommodation — Richmond-Jenkins, Rockingham and Alexander — younker reported spending each time aliases astir nan full time extracurricular their rooms. At those facilities, younker reported a greater consciousness of well-being and safety, according to nan report. The Richmond-Jenkins Juvenile Detention Center is nan only installation without accepted cells aliases room doors, and younker walk their days successful a communal pod.

An quiet pod astatine Richmond-Jenkins Juvenile Detention Center, nan state’s only installation pinch an open-bay setup alternatively of individual locked rooms. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

“By having younker retired of their cells for a mostly of each day, these accommodation are taking meaningful steps towards building a therapeutic situation for younker detained there,” nan study states, calling them a exemplary for different detention centers.  

In contrast, younker successful nan state’s different detention centers reported being confined for agelong stretches of nan time — successful immoderate cases reporting conditions that emergence to being akin to solitary confinement, which is mostly defined arsenic being locked successful a compartment for 22 hours aliases much per day. 

An quiet compartment astatine Brunswick Juvenile Detention Center, a county-operated facility. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

The issue of prolonged isolation successful juvenile detention centers has drawn scrutiny before. A federal suit revenge successful January 2024 against nan N.C. Department of Public Safety connected behalf of 3 teenagers alleged that they were routinely locked unsocial successful their rooms for arsenic overmuch arsenic 23 to 24 hours a day. The section denied nan lawsuit’s claims of regular solitary confinement for young people, but it acknowledged that unit shortages person affected really overmuch clip juveniles walk extracurricular their rooms. The suit is ongoing. Disability Rights NC, for their part, referred to nan youths’ rooms arsenic “cells,” noting pinch 1 exception, “all of nan ‘rooms’ successful [North Carolina juvenile detention centers] are really what a personnel of nan wide nationalist would mention to as, and spot as, cells.” 

Research has consistently shown that prolonged isolation harms physical and mental health, expanding risks of anxiety, self-harm and suicide. Experts besides pass that specified confinement deprives teenagers of societal relationship during a cardinal developmental period.

Carson said she saw nan toll firsthand, arsenic an “alarming number” of younker expressed suicidal ideation aliases thoughts of self-harm from nan conditions they knowledgeable successful detention. 

“North Carolina cannot normalize having its kids locked successful cells during nan day,” Carson said. “We would locomotion onto a pod and nan younker would beryllium successful their cells. That is not gathering nan ngo of [the juvenile justness system], and we, arsenic a state, can’t get utilized to that.” 

The study identified 3 detention centers — Guilford, Cumberland and Durham County Youth Home — arsenic opinionated retired for repeated findings of extended confinement complete consecutive monitoring visits. 

During a July 2025 monitoring sojourn to Cumberland Regional Detention Center, younker again described regularly spending 22 to 23.5 hours a time successful their cells, seldom going extracurricular and frankincense experiencing declines successful their intelligence health. Multiple younker cried during interviews, nan study states, and respective reported suicidal ideation aliases self-harm while detained astatine nan facility. 

In consequence to Disability Rights NC’s findings, juvenile justness officials disputed specified short clip spent retired of cell.

“The usage of solitary confinement is not practiced wrong immoderate North Carolina juvenile justness setting,” Deputy Secretary for Juvenile Justice William Lassiter wrote successful a Dec. 18 missive to Disability Rights NC. He’s led North Carolina’s juvenile justness strategy since May 2014.

“We do admit that our argumentation does supply a proviso wherever a younker whitethorn beryllium placed successful their rooms for a play to regain composure, pursuing an incident that jeopardized nan wellness and information of themselves aliases others, and this clip is cautiously monitored by installation leadership, behavioral health, and aesculapian staff,” Lassiter continued. “Also, while a younker is successful their room, they must proceed receiving surviving conditions approximate to those younker successful nan wide population.” 

In a connection to NC Health News, Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention spokesperson Matthew Debnam said officials are reviewing nan report’s findings and recommendations for North Carolina’s juvenile detention centers. 

Carson said nan report’s conclusions are based connected 398 abstracted interviews pinch detained youth, each of whom chose whether to participate. What younker many times described made it into nan report, she said.

“If they’re consistently saying it, I judge that it is true,” Carson said. 

“We went backmost to immoderate accommodation successful portion to spot if location had been improvements,” she said. “We saw a batch of accommodation that were utilizing solitary confinement connected 1 sojourn and were still utilizing it connected different visit.”

Confinement successful “the Hole”

Carson said Disability Rights NC heard from juveniles astir nan regular usage of solitary confinement arsenic subject crossed astir facilities, which could past from respective hours to respective days. Behaviors resulting successful compartment confinement ranged from awesome infractions specified arsenic fighting to — successful immoderate accommodation — insignificant infractions that included utilizing profanity.

A compartment doorway astatine Cumberland Juvenile Detention Center is covered to artifact younker from seeing into nan pod from their locked rooms. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

The study states that younker placed successful disciplinary confinement are typically isolated successful their cells for 23 to 24 hours a day, often without entree to school, recreation aliases telephone calls. The study notes that astatine Alexander Juvenile Detention Center, teenagers successful disciplinary compartment confinement moreover had books removed from their cells. Some accommodation besides usage flaps to screen nan windows of youths’ rooms, blocking their position into nan pod.

At Durham County Youth Home, a 36-bed detention halfway opened successful February 2024, younker reported that they could beryllium placed successful “the Hole” — a bare room pinch a spread successful nan level reportedly for defecation and urination — arsenic a disciplinary measure. While placed there, they told Disability Rights NC, they only sometimes were provided a mattress, nan lights stayed connected perpetually and stays ranged from 2 days to 2 weeks. The room was besides utilized for termination watch, according to nan report.

A compartment astatine Durham County Youth Home that younker interviewed by Disability Rights North Carolina called “the Hole,” wherever young group said they could beryllium placed arsenic a disciplinary measure. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

In a January missive to Disability Rights NC, Durham County Youth Home Assistant Director Sheila Bratts denied nan finding, penning that unit do not “place residents successful immoderate shape of solitary confinement aliases ‘hole.’” She did statement nan beingness of “Special Observation” rooms that are designed for and utilized arsenic intelligence wellness study rooms successful which placement occurs successful consultation pinch intelligence wellness providers.

“It is conscionable not a trauma-informed consequence to behaviour — whether you telephone that subject aliases telephone that intelligence wellness crisis,” Carson said, noting that aggregate younker detained location referred to nan room arsenic “the Hole.”

State juvenile justness strategy policies opportunity that compartment confinement arsenic a behaviour involution should beryllium utilized only aft each little restrictive measures person been exhausted aliases deemed ineffective, and only for nan clip basal for a younker to regain power and return to nan wide population.

However, nan study states that monitoring recovered that disciplinary compartment confinement was often for a predetermined duration, alternatively than confinement tied to nan clip needed for younker to regain control.

“It’s costly to support kids locked successful their cells each time and past discharge them to a organization without immoderate skills and being traumatized,” Carson said.

Disability Rights NC recovered that immoderate accommodation alternatively relied connected verbal de-escalation strategies and a affirmative behaviour inducement strategy that allowed younker to gain privileges — practices advocates opportunity are much therapeutic and amended hole teenagers to return to their communities.

More restrictive than prison

Carson said detention conditions matter not only for nan young group wrong nan facilities, but for nan communities they will beryllium returning to.

“These are North Carolina’s kids,” Carson said. “The opportunities that we springiness young group who are successful juvenile detention centers are nan opportunities that they’re going to person to build connected erstwhile they get retired and they’re backmost successful nan community.”

Eileen, a mother successful cardinal North Carolina whose 17-year-old boy spent a mates of months successful a juvenile detention halfway successful Butner successful 2023, said she was horrified by nan conditions he described. She asked NC Health News to usage her mediate sanction retired of privateness concerns for her son.

During their astir 10-minute telephone calls, she grew progressively worried. He told her he was spending each time successful his locked room, leaving only to return a speedy ablution and to make his telephone telephone home. Education worksheets were slid nether his doorway for him to complete but without teaching.

A compartment astatine Rockingham Juvenile Detention Center. The mean room size is 8 by 10 feet and includes a bed, toilet and sink. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

“It was conscionable a unspeakable experience,” she said. “The times that we visited nan facility, personification had to locomotion america to him, to nan dorm he was in, and nan kids were conscionable each astatine nan window, banging connected nan windows for illustration they were immoderate animals… Even going away, leaving nan facility, nan kids would spell to nan windows and they would tap. They would guidelines connected nan furniture because nan model was up precocious and they would wave. It was truthful heartbreaking, for illustration they were hopeless for interaction.”

Eileen had been a correctional serviceman astatine Warren Correctional Institution. Even so, she said, nan conditions astatine nan Butner installation shocked her by being much restrictive than her erstwhile workplace.

“Inmates that I worked pinch astatine situation really had much freedom,” she said. “They could spell retired successful nan yard. They walked to nan canteen and bought small snacks. Some of them were retired successful a large room together doing each other’s hair, and 1 aged man was making pocketbooks. They were not moreover arsenic locked up arsenic my boy was astatine a juvenile detention center.”

‘Something needs to change’

A dayroom astatine Pitt Regional Juvenile Detention Center. It’s an 18-bed installation successful Greenville. Credit: Disability Rights North Carolina

Eileen’s son’s acquisition mirrors findings recovered successful nan monitoring study — conditions Carson said must alteration to amended outcomes for young people. The study outlines dozens of recommendations, including accrued soul oversight, limits connected isolation and expanded entree to acquisition and therapeutic programming.

Debnam, nan section spokesman, noted that successful nan department’s December consequence letter to Disability Rights NC, Lassiter outlined imaginable solutions and further resources needed to reside galore of nan concerns raised, including:

• Salary increases for frontline accommodation unit and compression alleviation for managers, which will assistance successful recruitment and retention efforts. As of Feb. 16, 2026, Debnam told NC Health News that nan division’s vacancy complaint wide stood astatine 24 percent, pinch nonstop attraction unit vacancy rates overmuch higher, including 52 percent of younker counsellor and 40 percent of younker services behavioral master positions going unfilled.
• Funds for building of a 48-bed juvenile detention center, which will alleviate capacity strains connected nan system. The General Assembly has provided $1 cardinal for first readying of this facility.
• Funding for nan constitution of a 20-bed medical/mental wellness situation unit.
• Inflationary increases and further backing for community-based alternatives to detention.   

Carson acknowledged that much investments are needed successful nan juvenile justness strategy — which is progressively under strain from capacity challenges and stubborn unit vacancies — but she emphasized that assets constraints cannot warrant keeping young group isolated aliases not providing rehabilitative services. 

Disability Rights NC plans to proceed monitoring conditions wrong these facilities, Carson said, and hopes to spot improvements. The study besides noted immoderate already affirmative practices successful definite facilities. 

“We person to support moving and fighting to make judge that each younker successful juvenile detention centers person nan opportunity to beryllium retired of their cells successful school, recreation and intelligence wellness attraction access,” Carson said.

The mother whose boy went done a detention halfway is hopeless for that to happen. “Something needs to change,” Eileen said.

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