NYCLU Condemns DOCCS’s Solitary Ban Suspension  

NEW YORK – Today, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) announced it will suspend parts of the HALT Solitary Confinement Act amid protests staged by correction officers across the state. In response, the New York Civil Liberties Union released the following statement attributable to Staff Attorney Ify Chikezie: 

“We are extremely disturbed by DOCCS’s decision to suspend the HALT Act, which raises a slew of legal concerns. Solitary confinement is torture, and this suspension will inflict profound, irreversible harm on incarcerated New Yorkers, who are disproportionally Black and Brown.  

“For years, DOCCS has fought tooth and nail to prevent the implementation of the HALT Act. Following our lawsuit, the court found the agency in violation of the law and ordered full compliance. Yet, DOCCS continues to violate its provisions and is sentencing more, not less, people to solitary.  

“It is lost on no one that this decision comes as the culture of violence and dehumanization at our state prisons is under renewed scrutiny after the brutal murder of Robert Brooks. We urge DOCCS to rescind their decision immediately and fulfill its obligations to follow the law.” 

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