Comment on the Proposed Regulations for Disciplinary and Administrative Segregation of Inmates in Special Housing

The New York Civil Liberties Union (“NYCLU”) submits this comment on the proposed regulations addressing solitary confinement in New York jails. Despite the State Commission of Correction’s repeated attempts this year to improve minimum standards on solitary confinement in jails, we remain concerned that the latest proposal, like previous ones, fails to end the “prevalent misuse of solitary confinement” that the SCOC purports to address.1 Although the proposed regulations are steps in the right direction—as we noted in our March 28th public comment—the regulations still fall short of providing the comprehensive reforms needed to protect those most vulnerable to injury and stop the torture-through-isolation practices that persist in New York jails today.

Read the full statement below.