Isolation and restraint in juvenile correctional facilities.

Although mental health and correctional programs for juveniles house similar populations, their approaches to behavioral management can be quite different. This difference is evident in the use of isolation and restraint. Both of these interventions are effective behavioral management tools but are subject to abuse if not closely monitored. The authors, drawing from their experiences as mental health consultants to juvenile correctional programs and as expert witnesses in litigation, review the wide range of isolation and restraint practices in correctional programs and make recommendations for supervision and standardization.