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The New York State Senate and Assembly passed the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, a bill that will prevent some of the most harmful aspects of solitary confinement by limiting when it can be used.
In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from executive director Donna Lieberman:
“New York took another great step forward today by passing the HALT Act and ending the torture that is long-term solitary confinement. This will save lives and make prisons, jails and communities safer.
“Solitary confinement causes severe mental and physical trauma that can lead to irreparable harm. Despite these widely known dangers, tens of thousands of incarcerated New Yorkers, who are disproportionately Black and Latinx, are locked in solitary each year for months, years, and even decades.
“New Yorkers elected leaders to the Legislature this year with a clear mandate to dismantle structures of systemic racism and end mass incarceration. By passing the HALT Act in both chambers, Albany lawmakers have shown that they are listening and taking action. We expect Governor Cuomo to do the same and sign the HALT Act into law without delay.”
