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A D.C. Superior Court judge has issued an order to stop routinely shackling juveniles who appear in court, instead letting judges decide on a case-by-case basis.

In his order, Chief Judge Lee Satterfield wrote that “the purpose of the delinquency system is to deal with the problem of juvenile delinquency while treating children as children in all phases of their involvement,” adding that “the vast majority of jurisdictions have abandoned the indiscriminate use of restraints in juvenile cases through changes to court rules, amendments to institutional policies, or through statutory reform.”

Satterfield changed his mind on the issue, previously arguing the shackling juveniles was necessary to protect the safety of those in the courtroom. He changed his mind, however, after about a dozen states banned the routine use of shackling juveniles in response to advocates’ arguments that it’s an inhumane and counterproductive practice.

According to his order, Satterfield says that “it is most appropriate that decisions on the use of restraints depend on individual determination.”