Mayor’s administration asks federal judge to lift ban on solitary confinement in NYC jails

By Chris Sommerfeldt, Shant Shahrigian
New York Daily News

NEW YORK — The Adams administration has asked a judge to stay enforcement of the ban on solitary confinement in New York City’s prisons until the federal overseer in charge of the facilities can issue an opinion.

A lawyer from the city’s law department filed the motion in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday, months after the City Council overrode Mayor Adams’ veto against the ban.

“Most of the requirements” of the individual ban “contradict” previous orders in the federal oversight case, attorney Sheryl Neufeld wrote to Judge Laura Taylor Swain.

While federal commissioner Steven Martin voiced criticism after the individual ban was passed, it is unclear whether Swain has the authority to suspend the law, which is set to take effect on July 28.

In Veto against the ban in JanuaryAdams said the move meant that “the Department of Correction would no longer be able to protect inmates or the union employees responsible for their safety from violent individuals.”

For safety reasons, inmates of special treatment facilities must be isolated. In this tip, risk management expert and Lexipol co-founder Gordon Graham explains best practices for this process.

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

His government’s call for a pause in the lonely ban represents the latest step in a series of heated exchanges between the mayor and Democratic council members.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the bill’s lead sponsor, said he was “disappointed” by the latest move by the mayor, a fellow Democrat.

“The administration clearly has the tools to implement the law. Instead, it is using those tools to maintain the possibility of prolonged isolation and preserve the status quo on Rikers,” Williams said in a statement.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ office declined to comment Wednesday.

“We cannot allow the human rights and safety crisis on Rikers to continue by maintaining the status quo of failed policies and practices,” said the spokesman, a Democrat from Queens. said in January“This bill has broad support and promotes a new approach to reducing violence and prioritizing safety.”

Since 2015, the city’s troubled prison system has had a federal overseer tasked with monitoring conditions and pushing for reforms.

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