N.Y. ends long-term isolation in lockups

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation to end long-term solitary confinement in state prisons and jails, he announced Thursday.

Under the new law, prisons and jails will be barred from holding inmates in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days. It also bans solitary confinement entirely for several categories of prisoners including minors, people over 55, pregnant inmates and those with disabilities.

“Generations of incarcerated men and women have been subjected to inhumane punishment in segregated confinement with little to no human interaction for extended periods of time and many experience emotional and physical trauma that can last for years,” Cuomo said in a statement released Thursday after he signed the bill late Wednesday.

Democratic state Sen. Julia Salazar, who sponsored the bill, said the new law “will put an end to the use of long-term solitary confinement in our state, a practice that has perpetuated violence and caused irreparable harm.”

The legislation, which will take effect in one year, represents a victory for prison reform advocates who say prolonged isolation behind bars is torture.

“Today marks an important victory in the struggle for racial justice and human rights,” Jerome Wright, an organizer with the #HALTsolitary Campaign, said Thursday in a statement. He said the practice “should have no place in New York State or the rest of this country or world.”