Summary
A report by Harvard University researchers and Physicians for Human Rights finds that U.S. immigrant detention centers are increasingly using solitary confinement, sometimes for weeks, which the United Nations considers psychological torture. Nearly 14,000 people were placed in solitary since April 2024, with some vulnerable detainees spending an average of 38 days in isolation during early 2025.
Key Facts
- Nearly 14,000 people were placed in solitary confinement in immigrant detention centers from April 2024 to August 2025.
- The United Nations considers solitary confinement longer than 15 days as psychological torture.
- Vulnerable detainees, such as those with mental health issues, were isolated for an average of 38 days in early 2025.
- Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania had the highest number of isolated detainees, totaling 1,905.
- ICE guidelines recommend using solitary confinement for people with mental health conditions only as a last resort.
- ICE data may be incomplete, suggesting an undercount of solitary confinement cases.
- Some U.S. facilities are using "administrative segregation," which prisoner advocates argue is similar to solitary confinement.
- The report urges local officials to inspect facilities and ensure detainees have access to legal services and protections.
