On Monday, President Barack Obama said that he was moving to ban solitary confinement for juveniles and low-level offenders in federal prisons. Faithfully using his executive order to push for change. 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. President Obama also stated the practice is overused and has the potential for devastating psychological consequences. The new rules also dictate that the longest a prisoner can be punished with solitary confinement for a first offense is 60 days, rather than the current maximum of 365 days.

The president’s reforms applies to roughly 10,000 federal inmates serving time in solitary confinement. Federal officials sent adults inmates to solitary for nonviolent offenses 3,800 times in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2014, the swift policy change will have more sweeping ramifications.

The reforms come six months after Obama, as part of a broader criminal-justice reform push, ordered the Justice Department to study how solitary confinement was being used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Check out President Obama address to the NAACP in 2015 below and feel free to comment:

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Photos: Mi-Mi Sessions

The night was November 26, 2014, just two-days after the St. Louis Grand Jury refused to indict police officer, Darren Wilson.  A little over 100 protesters huddled around a stair case, near Downtown Santa, Ana, California, an urban suburb in North Orange County.  The crowd was quiet and surprisingly calm, as the organizers spoke about justice for Michael Brown. The unarmed 18-year-old was shot and killed by the on-duty officer in Ferguson, Missouri , earlier this year. The vigil joined thousands of protests around the nation, stemming from Ferguson, and trickled to New York, L.A, Atlanta and Washington D.C. Even London joined in.

Organizers and protesters walked the streets of Santa Ana yelling “No Racist Police”, “Black Lives Matter!” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” The march was peaceful and served as a platform for freedom of expression through the creative arts. Local and respected rap artist Emcee Classiq spit his “Ferguson Freestyle” to the crowd, and ended with his fist up yelling, “Power to the People.”  Others read poems about their struggle in society and reminded goers that this isn’t just a black issue, but an American issue. Santa Ana, a predominately Hispanic community, is known for their combative relationships with local officers. However, on this night protesters sat in the middle of the street declaring change, while officers monitored giving space for free speech.  Orange County, often forgotten about, made a statement- that they are to ready for justice to be served.

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