Lawsuit Alleges New York Holds Juveniles in Solitary Cells Without Toilets |
Prisons
C.J. Ciaramella | 1.21.2026 1:35 PM
Teenagers as young as 12 years old in New York juvenile detention centers are held for prolonged periods in solitary confinement cells without plumbing, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
A federal class action lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society and the law firm Jenner and Block alleges that the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) "routinely and unlawfully imposes solitary confinement in its five secure placement facilities, locking youth as young as 12 years old alone in small, barren cells for extended periods with no recourse to secure their release."
Although the OCFS is required to provide minors in custody with seven to eight hours a day of educational programming and recreation, the lawsuit alleges that staff shortages and extended lockdowns have led to teenagers being held in filthy, dehumanizing confinement cells for 23 to 24 hours a day—in some cases for weeks or even months at a time. The prolonged isolation, the lawsuit argues, subjects minors to profound mental distress and physical health risks, violating their Eighth and 14th Amendment rights, as well as the Americans with........