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<\/p>\nSeven teenagers crowded around a foldout table in a stuffy, converted garage on Monday.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s summer, but their laptops were out.<\/p>\n
Frequent bursts of laughter were reminders of their youth in an otherwise serious meeting.<\/p>\n
They were discussing a policy proposal for San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez: reforms to solitary confinement.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s far from their goal of ending solitary, but it\u2019s a first step.<\/p>\n
Nikhil Plettner Booker, 17, founded the group. He speaks with a measured seriousness far beyond his years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won’t get too into it for the sake of, like, the privacy of my peers and my family. But needless to say, there are some personal connections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019s not the only team member personally impacted by the justice system. Some have had loved ones held in solitary confinement.<\/p>\n
While they can\u2019t change the whole system at once, solitary feels like a piece they can tackle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very specific, but it’s also emblematic of a larger system which fails to address the root causes of why crime occurs in the first place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Nikhil Plettner Booker poses for a portrait in his yard on Monday, July 13, 2026.<\/p>\n
They started as a club at San Diego High School last year. They\u2019ve already found more than 50 teenagers willing to give their free time to the cause. Free pizza helps, Plettner Booker said.<\/p>\n
They formed a group independent of the school: Youth to End Solitary SD<\/a>.<\/p>\n Being so young can sometimes work against them, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get the clich\u00e9 like, \u2018Oh, thank you so much for doing this. You know, \u2018It’s good for you young people doing this work.\u2019 And it comes off nice, but at the same time it takes away from the seriousness that we bring to the conversation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It can also work for them.<\/p>\n \u201cOur youthfulness has been able to open some doors that haven’t been available to other people, you know. When we asked for people in the sheriff’s department to get us a meeting with the sheriff, we specifically said, \u2018Mention to her that, you know, we’re high schoolers,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He said they\u2019d already met with California legislators and the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board.<\/p>\n But the sheriff is different \u2014 she might need more convincing to get on board, and getting a half-hour of her time is a feat in itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve spoken to a lot of other not-for-profit organizations that are involved with criminal justice reform, and they’ve failed to get meetings with the sheriff,\u201d Plettner Booker said.<\/p>\n They built relationships within the office first. An assistant sheriff offered them a tour of George Bailey Detention Facility. There, they came face to face with what they\u2018re trying to end.<\/p>\n They had seen videos and photos in their research and had watched documentaries, but Plettner Booker said \u201cit was definitely different actually going to a wing.\u201d<\/p>\n An ongoing lawsuit<\/a> alleges little to no mental health treatment in the county\u2019s solitary units and almost no human contact.<\/p>\n San Diego County Sheriff\u2019s Office spokesperson David Collins declined to comment on pending litigation.<\/p>\n He told KPBS by email Monday that 188 people were being held in \u201cadministrative separation,\u201d their term for solitary. 50 had serious mental illness.<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually saw inmates in the administrative separation units,\u201d Plettner Booker said.<\/p>\n Being that physically close to people in solitary confinement was moving for himself and the team, he said. It was especially difficult to see them in the cages meant for exercise.<\/p>\n Solitary is meant to be secure housing for people considered a danger to themselves or others. Sheriff\u2019s Office policy<\/a> says it \u201cshall not involve any other deprivation of privileges\u201d beyond what\u2019s necessary for safety.<\/p>\n
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