# 119-s-2477: End Solitary Confinement Act

119-s-2477, End Solitary Confinement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2477
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2477
- Congress: 119
- Title: End Solitary Confinement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-28
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Ending solitary confinement** would sharply limit isolation in federal custody and set national minimum standards for out-of-cell time, programming, medical care, reporting, and oversight. The bill creates clear rules about when confinement is allowed and who is protected.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2025-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-07-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits on federal solitary confinement: benefit, high. If enacted, people in federal custody would generally get at least 14 hours out of their cell each day. That must include at least 7 hours of structured group programming and at least 1 hour of group recreation daily. Short solitary placements would be allowed only in narrow cases and have strict t…
- New legal remedies for solitary harms: benefit, medium. If enacted, anyone harmed by a violation of the Act could sue in federal court. A court could order fixes, close facilities for repeated violations, and award money for emotional pain. Prisoners could also bring claims for mental or emotional injury without proving physical injury when the claim in…
- Independent monitors and public access: benefit, low. If enacted, the Attorney General would create a community monitoring body within 90 days with at least 15 members, including people with lived experience. The body would get unannounced access, timely non‑classified records, and confidential interviews with consent. The Inspector General would form…
- Byrne grant cuts for noncompliant states: cost, medium. If enacted, states and localities that get Byrne/JAG grants must certify within 180 days that their laws and policies meet the Act’s standards, including 14 hours per day out-of-cell group time. The Attorney General would cut at least 10% of a noncompliant jurisdiction’s Byrne/JAG funding starting…
- Agency duties and construction limits: mixed, low. If enacted, each Federal agency named in the Act would have 60 days to add the Act’s rules into its custody standards and to monitor compliance. Congress could appropriate funds to implement the Act, but money used to carry out the Act could not pay to build or renovate places where people are inca…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act

## Sources
- [119-s-2477 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2477)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2477 (as of 2026-08-11).