SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT BANS SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN YOUTH DETENTION
NEWS from the Shelby County Mayor’s Office
Lee Harris, Mayor
Vasco A. Smith, Jr., Administration Building
11th Floor, 160 North Main, Memphis, Tennessee 38103
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 25, 2026
Kelly Roberts
Chief of Staff
Office: 901.222.2014
Email: [email protected]
SHELBY COUNTY GOVERNMENT BANS SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN YOUTH DETENTION
The ordinance eliminates the use of solitary confinement as punishment at the Youth Justice and Education Center and outlines mandatory restorative practices for the wellbeing of youth in detention in Shelby County.
Shelby County, TN – On Monday, August 24, the Shelby County Commission approved an ordinance on its third reading to ban solitary confinement for Shelby County youth in detention at the Youth Justice and Education Center. The ordinance, brought to the Commission by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’s Office, bans the use of solitary confinement as a form of discipline, punishment, administrative convenience, retaliation, or reasons other than a temporary response to behavior that threatens immediate harm to a youth or others. The ordinance details that any seclusion shall not exceed two hours.
The ordinance also outlines restorative housing practices for Shelby County youth in detention. Restorative practices are defined as activities designed to promote the wellbeing of residents and positive youth development. It states youth in detention must receive access to the accredited educational programs on site immediately upon arriving at the Youth Justice and Education Center, shall have unlimited access to a phone or tablet for the purpose of being in contact with a parent, guardian, or legal counsel, and daily group activities.
This ordinance maintains the Harris Administration’s commitment to focus on rehabilitation during incarceration. It’s in line with a previous ordinance passed by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners to eliminate solitary confinement inside the adult prison at the Division of Corrections. It’s also in response to disturbing media reports that prior to October 1, 2025, youth in the Youth Justice and Education Center experienced solitary confinement for 23 hours or more a day as punishment.
The oversight of the Youth Justice and Education Center was transferred from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to the Shelby County Division of Corrections and Mayor Harris’s Administration on October 1, 2025. Since that transfer, the Division of Corrections has reinstated transportation from the Youth Justice and Education Center to the Juvenile Court for youth’s hearings, which has helped decrease the population at the center by half. It has also swapped out youth wearing prison-grade jumpsuits for school polos and khakis and reinstated in-person visitation time with family.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris: “When our administration took responsibility for the Youth Justice and Education Center, we made a commitment to put practices that focused on humanity, dignity, and rehabilitation in place. Solitary confinement has no place in a center focused on a child’s wellbeing. When a child is in solitary confinement they miss out on enrichment activities, including school and contact with their family. With this ordinance, these reforms will last beyond our administration and Shelby County is making clear that the way we treat children in our custody matters.”
Commissioner Erika Sugarmon: “As an educator, I have spent my career believing that young people can learn, grow, and change when adults give them the opportunity and support to do so. Solitary confinement runs counter to that principle. Young people in detention still deserve access to education, their families, and the kind of structure that allows them to return to our community better prepared to succeed. I am proud that Shelby County is continuing to move toward a juvenile justice system that balances accountability with the possibility of rehabilitation.”
Reese Walker, Youth Justice and Education Center Executive Director: “Our responsibility at the Youth Justice and Education Center is not simply to keep young people in custody. It is to keep them safe, provide structure and education, and help put them and our community in better positions for what comes next.”
Shirley Bonden, Executive Director of the Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis: “For years, advocates in our community have raised concerns about young people being isolated from their families, their education, and the support systems they need while in detention. We believe accountability and humane treatment can and must coexist. I’m grateful Mayor Harris had myself and other advocates in this area at the table to come up with an ordinance that progresses the need for ideals like dignity and humanity within youth detention.”
(End of Release)
Kelly Roberts
Chief of Staff
Shelby County Mayor’s Office
160 N Main Street, Suite 1100
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
O: (901) 222-2014
C: (901) 378-1224
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