HB 165 Summary: Youth in Solitary Confinement Reduction Act

• Creates section 958.155, Florida Statutes, establishing the "Youth in Solitary Confinement Reduction Act" to regulate confinement of youth prisoners under age 18 in Department of Corrections and local detention facilities.

• Prohibits emergency cell confinement for more than 24 hours and requires mental health clinician evaluation within 1 hour of placement, then every 4 hours thereafter; mandates transfer to mental health receiving facility if suicide risk unresolved within 24 hours.

• Limits disciplinary cell confinement to maximum 72 hours and requires visual checks every 15 minutes; guarantees youth in both emergency and disciplinary confinement access to at least 1-2 hours daily exercise, meals, medical treatment, and contact with family and legal representatives.

• Requires youth in protective custody receive at least 5 hours daily out-of-cell time, educational programming, personal property access, law library access, and same communication privileges as general population prisoners.

• Mandates Department of Corrections and county commissions certify compliance by January 1, 2021, and adopt rules implementing youth solitary confinement standards; act becomes effective July 1, 2020.