NYC bans solitary confinement for inmates aged 21 and under

NEW YORK CITY - After several deaths in custody, the New York City Department of Corrections will stop putting inmates aged 21 and under in solitary confinement.

The change, which the Board of Correction unanimously approved on Tuesday, will go into effect in 2016.

The move comes less than a year after New York State banned the use of solitary confinement for inmates under 18.

In December, the federal government sued New York City over the "deep-seated culture of violence" against juvenile inmates at the city's Riker's Island jail facility.