punishment on children. Detention of a child must conform with the law and be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. Every child who is detained “shall be treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age.” Both solitary confinement and restraint are directly addressed by the CRC in its General Comment No 10 (2007) on Children’s rights in juvenile justice, where the CRC reiterates that64: Restraint or force can be used only when the child poses an imminent threat of injury to him or herself or others, and only when all other means of control have been exhausted. The use of restraint or force, including physical, mechanical and medical restraints,should be under close and direct control of a medical and/or psychological professional. It must never be used as a means of punishment. Staff of the facility should receive training on the applicable standards and members of the staff who use restraint or force in violation of the rules and standards should be punished appropriately; Any disciplinary measure must be consistent with upholding the inherent dignity of the juvenile and the fundamental objectives of institutional care; disciplinary measures in violation of article 37 of CRC must be strictly forbidden, including corporal punishment, placement in a dark cell, closed or solitary confinement, or any other punishment that may compromise the physical or mental health or well-being of the child concerned. Persons with disabilities, including mental health issues The negative effects of solitary confinement are particularly profound for those with mental health disabilities. Solitary confinement can result in the exacerbation of an issue, and at an extreme some engage in self-harm and even suicide. The principle of ‘reasonable accommodation’ requires detaining agencies to appropriately modify the procedures and physical facilities of places of detention 64 CRC/C/GC/10, 25 April 2007. (section 89). see for example United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Committee on the Rights of the Child. Concluding observations on the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Luxembourg, adopted by the Committee at its sixty-fourth session (16 September–4 October 2013). Vienna: United Nations; October 29, 2013. Report No.: CRC/C/LUX/CO/3-4 73