In a statement that was written in The Washington Times, Obama said the punishment destroys the possibility that prisoners could be rehabilitated.

“The United States is a nation of second chances, but the experience of solitary confinement too often undercuts that second chance,”

Obama wrote in his op-ed, adding the decision came after a review by the Justice Department.

As for recommendations, the President writes, “..these include banning solitary confinement for juveniles and as a response to low-level infractions, expanding treatment for the mentally ill and increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside of their cells. These steps will affect some 10,000 federal prisoners held in solitary confinement—and hopefully serve as a model for state and local corrections systems. And I will direct all relevant federal agencies to review these principles and report back to me with a plan to address their use of solitary confinement.”