On Wednesday, New York City lawmakers passed a bill prohibiting solitary confinement in city jails.
The newly approved bill allows brief isolation for high-risk inmates and requires 14 hours of daily out-of-cell time for longer-term confinement and access to programs available to the general population.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who introduced the legislation, described solitary confinement as a form of torture for those enduring long hours isolated in tiny jail cells.
He and other supporters, including prominent members of New York’s congressional delegation, cited research showing that even brief periods of solitary confinement increase the risk of inmate suicide, violence, or overdose while also causing severe mental health issues that hinder reintegration into society post-release.
“This is about safety at Rikers,” Williams said. “If we want something different, we need to try something different.”
The city’s Board of Correction limited de-escalation confinement to six hours, but inmates have reportedly been held in these units for extended periods.
According to a Columbia University Center for Justice report, inmates can be confined for 23 to 24 hours daily.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said the legislation would “foster an environment of fear and instability” in the city’s jails.
“It would make it harder to protect people in custody, and the predominantly Black and brown workers charged with their safety, from violent individuals,” stated Kayla Mamelak.
Before the vote, Mayor Adams criticized the bill’s requirement for a hearing before placing an inmate in solitary but didn’t confirm a veto. Council leaders assert they have sufficient votes to override a potential veto.
“What City Council is saying is that while they’re in jail, if they commit an assault on someone, an inmate or a correction officer, before we place them into punitive segregation, we need to allow them to have a trial of due process,” he told WNYW. “That is saying if someone assaults me on the street, before I can place them in jail, they must have a trial to determine if I’m going to arrest them and place them in jail. That makes no sense.”
