Juvenile Justice Center

Room Confinement and Isolation

Room Confinement Isolation
“Room confinement” means a juvenile is separated from the youth population and placed in a room or cell that the juvenile is assigned to for sleeping, other than during normal sleeping hours or interim rest hours. "Room confinement" does not include time a youth requests to spend in his or her room or rest periods in between facility programming. Juveniles are in room confinement from the moment they are separated from others until they are permitted to rejoin the population.

"Isolation" means confinement that occurs (a) when a youth is separated from the youth population and placed in a room for longer than 15 minutes for the purpose of discipline, behavior modification, or due to an imminent threat to the safety of the youth or others; and (b) in a room other than the room assigned to the youth for sleeping. Juveniles are in isolation from the moment they are separated from others until they have rejoined the population. Juveniles who are pregnant shall not be put into isolation. Maintaining appropriate gender separation does not constitute isolation.

 

As noted in the above definitions from RCW 13.22, there are several exceptions to reporting instances when a youth may be in their room. The following situations are not considered room confinement: (1) any self-requested time spent in one’s room, (2) time spent in one’s room during rest periods in between facility programming, and (3) time spent in one’s room during normal sleeping hours or interim rest hours. Lastly, while RCW 13.22 provides no guidance on how or whether to report on Room Confinement or Isolation due to medical conditions (e.g., COVID-19 quarantine, communicable diseases, etc.).  As such, youth confined to their rooms due to medical quarantines are not reported in the data.  It is also important to note that only Room Confinement and Isolation events lasting 1-hour or more are reported here, per RCW 13.22

It is also noteworthy that Chelan County Juvenile Detention does not employ full-time nursing personnel.  As such, it is impracticable for youth placed on room confinement or isolation status to be provided medical reviews unless absolutely necessary (this determination will be made by custody supervisors, lead workers, and/or administration).  Similarly, Chelan County Juvenile Detention does not have access to onsite mental health treatment providers.  Consequently, mental health reviews for youth placed on room confinement or isolation will only occur as needed (this determination will be made by custody supervisors, lead workers, and/or administration) due to need to call outside crisis response staff to respond to the facility for this purpose. 

Data reporting regarding access to meals, medications, and reading materials was limited to Yes/No responses.  Efforts are currently underway to include additional nuance in order to improve the quality of reporting.  If youth were on room confinement or isolation status during times that no meal service was offered the response in the data is noted as: “no”.  Similarly, if a youth was not prescribed medication the response in the data is noted as: “no”. Regarding reading material, youth may be denied access if said items are contraindicated (e.g., based on the youth’s suicide prevention level, documented tendency to engage in self-harm behaviors, youth’s propensity to destroy such items or utilize them in an unsafe manner, or if the items would hinder staff efforts to resolve the problems that underlying the cause of room confinement or isolation).

Finally, it’s important to note that the data listed below does not indicate a pervasive pattern of room confinement and isolation in the Chelan County Juvenile Detention facility.  On the contrary, of the 35 room confinement listed in 2023, eight of these episodes involve the same troubled youth.

 

Monthly Room Confinement Reports

2022 Monthly Confinement Reports
2023 Monthly Confinement Reports

 

Posted: 01/04/2024 09:14 AM
Last Updated: 01/04/2024 09:59 AM

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    Nov 2024
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    The Canvassing Board of Chelan County, pursuant to RCW 29A.60.160, will hold public meetings at the dates and times listed below. The meetings of the Canvassing Board are open, public meetings under the applicable provisions of chapter 42.30 RCW, and each meeting shall be continued until the activity for which the meeting is held has been completed.

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