(CNN) John spent his 16th birthday the same way he's spent every day during the UK's Covid-19 lockdown — alone in a cell for 23 hours, with no visits, no internet and few phone calls. According to multiple lawyers and experts CNN has spoken to, these restrictions have left children like John in solitary confinement. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Mandela rules, define solitary confinement as 22 hours a day or more without meaningful human contact. "But what we did not reduce are the amount of Black and Minority Ethnic young people in the system. 'Inhumane' conditionsJohn, the 16-year-old living in prison during lockdown, says the months of solitary confinement have caused his mental health to suffer.

Source: CNN July 14, 2020 09:11 UTC