New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued an emergency order on Saturday, suspending parts of a new law intended to ban solitary confinement in local jails, just a day before it was set to take effect. Citing concerns for the safety of staff and detainees, Adams declared a state of emergency and signed an order that suspended the law’s four-hour limit on holding prisoners who pose safety concerns in “de-escalation confinement” and restricted the use of restraints during transportation.
The suspended parts of the law included a clause that allowed the four-hour confinement limit to be exceeded only in “exceptional circumstances,” with prisoners released as soon as practicable once they no longer posed an imminent risk of serious injury. Adams also halted a provision that barred jail officials from placing a prisoner in longer-term “restrictive housing” for more than 60 days in any 12-month period, requiring instead that placements be reviewed every 15 days.
Adams emphasized the importance of protecting the health and safety of both detainees and jail staff. “It is of the utmost importance to protect the health and safety of all persons in the custody of the Department of Correction and of all officers and persons who work in the City of New York jails and who transport persons in custody to court and other facilities, and the public,” he wrote in his emergency declaration.
The law, introduced by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, was initially vetoed by Adams, but the City Council overrode his veto in January. The legislation aimed to address the severe mental health impacts of solitary confinement, which research has shown to increase the likelihood of suicide, violence, and overdose among inmates, as well as cause acute anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
City Council spokesperson Shirley Limongi sharply criticized Adams, accusing him of disrespecting the laws and setting hypocritical double standards. “Each day Mayor Adams’ Administration shows how little respect it has for the laws and democracy, it sets more hypocritical double standards for complying with the law that leave New Yorkers worse off,” Limongi stated. “The reality is that the law already included broad safety exemptions that make this ‘emergency order’ unnecessary.”
Adams defended his stance, asserting that solitary confinement had been eliminated in NYC jails since 2019 and defined it as “22 hours or more per day in a locked cell without meaningful human contact.” He maintained that de-escalation confinement and longer-term restrictive housing were essential for preventing violent prisoners from harming others.
Jail officials, the guards’ union, and a federal monitor had also objected to parts of the new law, citing similar safety concerns. The law stipulated a four-hour limit for isolating inmates posing immediate risks and required that those in longer-term restrictive housing be allowed out of their cells for 14 hours daily, with access to the same programming as other inmates.
The state of emergency declared by Adams will remain in effect for up to 30 days or until it is rescinded, with the possibility of 30-day extensions. The order suspending parts of the new law will last for five days unless terminated or modified earlier.
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