New York Mayor issues emergency decree on new solitary confinement law

New York Mayor Eric Adams has issued an emergency decree repealing parts of a bill that would limit the amount of time prisoners spend in solitary confinement.

The mayor said goodbye an emergency order on Saturday that repeals parts of the law, including banning solitary confinement in city jails and setting standards for the use of restrictive housing and emergency shelters. The order will remain in effect until 30 days have passed or it is repealed. The law came into force on Sunday.

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Why was the emergency decree issued?

The order removes limits on the amount of time an inmate can spend in solitary confinement, saying the law “would be dangerous and would place inmates and staff at further risk.”

What would the law achieve?

According to the City Council website, this would result in:

• Limit the time a person can spend in solitary confinement to four hours unless there are “exceptional circumstances.”
• Limit “restricted accommodation” to no more than 30 consecutive days and no more than 60 days in any 12-month period.
• Set limits on how the Department of Corrections (DOC) can use emergency lock-ins
• Requires DOC to regularly report on the use of “de-escalation measures, crowded living conditions and emergency shelters.”
• Provide detainees with “appropriate procedural protections before they are placed in crowded housing or subject to further coercive measures.”