Solitary Confinement

Jails

City Jails Scrap Last Remnants of Pricey Consultant Plan as Deaths Mount

May 18, 2022, 7:24 p.m.May 18, 2022, 7:24 p.m.

A fifth person this year died behind bars at Rikers Island on Wednesday morning — the first woman in three years — just hours after officials announced they were overhauling their last overhaul.

Jails

City Lawmakers Drag Feet on Solitary Confinement Ban After Campaign Promises

March 16, 2022, 6:33 p.m.March 16, 2022, 6:35 p.m.

The City Council has still not introduced any measure to end solitary confinement in city jails despite a majority of publicly opposing the practice. The public advocate’s office meanwhile has taken up the mantle and says a bill will be introduced in weeks.

Jails

New Council Assail Adams’ Plan to Restore Solitary Confinement in NYC Jails

Dec. 20, 2021, 9:18 p.m.Dec. 20, 2021, 9:18 p.m.

A letter to the mayor-elect signed primarily by incoming Council marked a preview of the dynamic between a band of rookie, mostly progressive lawmakers and Adams, a former cop whose crime-fighting promises helped get him elected.

Solitary Confinement

Adams Vows to Bring Solitary Confinement Back to Rikers Island, Scrapping Reforms

Dec. 16, 2021, 4:55 p.m.Oct. 12, 2023, 8:01 a.m.

“Enjoy the reprieve now!” the incoming mayor declared Thursday as he announced Louis Molina would head the Department of Correction. The family of Layleen Polanco, whose death at Rikers galvanized the anti-solitary movement, slammed Adams.

Solitary Confinement

De Blasio’s Order to Delay Solitary Confinement Reforms Over Rikers Chaos Slammed

Nov. 2, 2021, 4:52 p.m.Nov. 2, 2021, 7:16 p.m.

The sister of Layleen Polanco, whose 2019 jail death galvanized the movement to end isolating inmates, expressed her “disgust” for the mayor. De Blasio’s handpicked leader of the city jail oversight board also condemned his 11th-hour executive order.

Department of Correction

Tablets for Inmates: New NYC Jails Chief Presents Reform Plan Ahead of Next Mayor

July 16, 2021, 3:18 p.m.July 19, 2021, 10:20 p.m.

Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi’s “comprehensive post-pandemic recovery” proposal also covers everything from cutting down on triple shifts for correction officers to fixing broken cell doors.

Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement Reforms Approved for City Jails, Even as Advocates Decry ‘Broken Promise’

June 8, 2021, 11:12 a.m.June 11, 2021, 10:23 a.m.

The city further limited isolation Tuesday — two years and a day after Layleen Polanco’s death on Rikers Island. But her sister and other inmate advocates are slamming de Blasio for not fully eliminating the practice.

Jails

New City Jails Boss Open to Next Mayor Extending His Sentence

May 12, 2021, 6:59 p.m.May 12, 2021, 6:59 p.m.

Incarceration reformer Vincent Schiraldi, appointed by de Blasio to run the troubled Correction Department, says he’d consider staying past Dec. 31. He wants to end the violence that’s plagued Rikers Island and other local lockups.

Jails

De Blasio Plan to Eliminate Solitary Confinement Falls Short for Inmate Advocates

March 8, 2021, 11:09 p.m.March 17, 2021, 11:18 a.m.

“All they did was change the name, and slightly, very slightly, changed a few things,” said Melania Brown, whose sister, Layleen Polanco, died in a solitary cell at Rikers Island in 2019.

Solitary Confinement

City Jailers Defy Oversight Board to Keep Young Adults in Isolation

Feb. 25, 2021, 8:00 a.m.Feb. 24, 2021, 10:28 p.m.

An “emergency” petition by the Correction Department to put youths alone in cells for up to 17 hours a day comes nearly eight months after Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to end solitary confinement for all inmates.

Solitary Confinement

City Jails Scrap Last Remnants of Pricey Consultant Plan as Deaths Mount

City Lawmakers Drag Feet on Solitary Confinement Ban After Campaign Promises

New Council Assail Adams’ Plan to Restore Solitary Confinement in NYC Jails

Adams Vows to Bring Solitary Confinement Back to Rikers Island, Scrapping Reforms

De Blasio’s Order to Delay Solitary Confinement Reforms Over Rikers Chaos Slammed

Tablets for Inmates: New NYC Jails Chief Presents Reform Plan Ahead of Next Mayor

Solitary Confinement Reforms Approved for City Jails, Even as Advocates Decry ‘Broken Promise’

New City Jails Boss Open to Next Mayor Extending His Sentence

De Blasio Plan to Eliminate Solitary Confinement Falls Short for Inmate Advocates

City Jailers Defy Oversight Board to Keep Young Adults in Isolation

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