Current:Home > StocksCharles H. Sloan-NYC mayor issues emergency order suspending parts of new solitary confinement law -WealthMindset Learning
Charles H. Sloan-NYC mayor issues emergency order suspending parts of new solitary confinement law
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 09:10:26
New York City’s mayor issued an emergency order Saturday suspending parts of a new law intended to ban solitary confinement in local jails a day before it was to take effect,Charles H. Sloan citing concerns for the safety of staff and detainees.
Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency and signed an order that suspended parts of the law that set a four-hour time limit on holding prisoners who pose safety concerns in “de-escalation confinement” and limit the use of restraints on prisoners while they are transported to courts or within jails.
The four-hour limit could only be exceeded only in “exceptional circumstances.” In those circumstances, prisoners would be released from de-escalation confinement “as soon as practicable” and when they no longer pose an imminent risk of serious injury to themselves or others, according to the mayor’s order.
Adams also suspended a part of the law that prohibited jail officials from placing a prisoner in longer-term “restrictive housing” for more than a total of 60 days in any 12-month period. His order says jail officials must review a prisoner’s placement in restrictive housing every 15 days.
“It is of the utmost importance to protect the health and safety of all persons in the custody of the Department of Correction and of all officers and persons who work in the City of New York jails and who transport persons in custody to court and other facilities, and the public,” Adams wrote in his state of emergency declaration.
Adams had vetoed the City Council’s approval of the bill, but the council overrode the veto in January.
City Council leaders did not immediately return messages seeking comment Saturday.
The bill had been introduced by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who argued solitary confinement amounts to torture for those subjected to lengthy hours in isolation in small jail cells.
Williams and other supporters of the new law, including prominent members of New York’s congressional delegation, have pointed to research showing solitary confinement, even only for a few days, increases the likelihood an inmate will die by suicide, violence or overdose. It also leads to acute anxiety, depression, psychosis and other impairments that may reduce an inmate’s ability to reintegrate into society when they are released, they said.
Adams has insisted there has been no solitary confinement in jails since it was eliminated in 2019. He said solitary confinement is defined as “22 hours or more per day in a locked cell and without meaningful human contact.” He said de-escalation confinement and longer-term restrictive housing are needed to keep violent prisoners from harming other prisoners and staff.
Jail officials, the guards’ union and a federal monitor appointed to evaluate operations at city jails objected to parts of the new law, also citing safety concerns.
The law places a four-hour limit on isolating inmates who pose an immediate risk of violence to others or themselves in de-escalation units. Only those involved in violent incidents could be placed in longer-term restrictive housing, and they would need to be allowed out of their cells for 14 hours each day and get access to the same programming available to other inmates.
Adams’ state of emergency declaration will remain in effect for up to 30 days or until it is rescinded, whichever is earlier, with 30-day extensions possible. The order suspending parts of the new law will be in effect for five days unless terminated or modified earlier.
veryGood! (853)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Lessons for Democracy From the Brazilian Amazon
- Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
- Utah man who killed woman is put to death by lethal injection in state’s first execution since 2010
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- Hunter Biden was hired by Romanian businessman trying to ‘influence’ US agencies, prosecutors say
- Blake Lively Reveals Thoughtful Gift Ryan Reynolds Gave Her Every Week at Start of Romance
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Utah man who killed woman is put to death by lethal injection in state’s first execution since 2010
Ranking
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Drones warned New York City residents about storm flooding. The Spanish translation was no bueno
- Utah man who killed woman is put to death by lethal injection in state’s first execution since 2010
- Tropical Storm Debby to move over soggy South Carolina coast, drop more rain before heading north
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Matt Damon remembers pal Robin Williams: 'He was a very deep, deep river'
- What polling shows about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ new running mate
- 1 of last GOP congressmen who voted to impeach Trump advances in Washington’s US House race
Recommendation
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
The Walz record: Abortion rights, free lunches for schoolkids, and disputes over a riot response
Former Colorado clerk was shocked after computer images were shared online, employee testifies
3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger