NYC Council Supports State Measure to Restrict Solitary Confinement

The New York City Committee on Criminal Justice unanimously voted (6-0) to support HALT Solitary Confinement. HALT, or Humane Alternatives to Long Term Solitary Confinement, is a bill introduced in both the New York State Senate and Assembly to limit the use of solitary confinement. As it stands now, prisoners can be subjected to long, consecutive stretches of solitary confinement for offenses as minor as cannabis consumption. Currently, there is no legal limit on the length of solitary detention.

 

The HALT Solitary Confinement Act would limit solitary detention to no more than 15 consecutive days and no more than 20 days in a 2 month period. The bill would also prohibit minors from being subjected to solitary confinement. Finally, the bill would restrict the criteria for which solitary can be imposed.

 

Advocates of the bill stress the traumatic psychological and physical effects experienced by the people subjected to solitary detention. City Council Member Daniel Dromm says solitary confinement increases the likelihood of cyclical incarceration. He also says it places an undue burden on communities that are left to foster the rehabilitation of former prisoners in solitary. Speaking at a Hearing for the Committee on Criminal Justice, Dromm thanked the advocates of reform for calling attention to the issue. "Many members of that movement know all too well the devastating  impact of long-term solitary confinement. New York state has the opportunity to end state-sanctioned torture."