NYCLU Statement on City Council Passage of Bill Banning Solitary Confinement  

NEW YORK CITY – Today, the City Council passed a bill effectively banning solitary confinement in New York City’s jails. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union issued the following statement from Executive Director Donna Lieberman: 

“By effectively banning the torture of solitary confinement in all its forms in our city jails, the City Council has taken action that will save New Yorkers’ lives.

“Solitary confinement is a form of torture that has inflected enduring harm on generations of incarcerated New Yorkers, especially Black and Brown people. Given the daily horrors and culture of impunity at jails like Rikers Island, we urge the Mayor to heed the call of incarcerated New Yorkers and their families and sign this bill into law immediately.”