HALT Solitary Confinement Act Passage

The New York City Bar Association voiced its support for and now applauds the State Legislature’s passage of the Humane Alternatives to Long Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. This Act will substantially restrict the use of isolated confinement in our state prisons and local jails and would mandate the creation of alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options to address the behavior of incarcerated persons who participate in disruptive or dangerous behavior. The use of solitary confinement has had a devastating impact on people placed in isolation without substantially improving safety within prisons or jails, or promoting public safety.  We thank Assembly Member Aubry and Senator Salazar for their leadership and all the advocates who have spent years working to end this inhumane and unjust practice.  We urge Governor Cuomo to sign this bill swiftly in order to benefit vulnerable persons disproportionally subjected to solitary confinement, increase public safety, and continue New York’s role as a leader in criminal justice reforms.
 
Led by the City Bar’s Corrections and Community Reentry Committee, this bill was also endorsed by our Criminal Courts Committee, Criminal Justice Operations Committee, and the Task Force on Mass Incarceration.  Read our report in support of the Act here: https://bit.ly/32fBfYy