Solitary Confinement Reform a Time-Sensitive Issue
September 7, 2016
In January of 2015, New York City’s Board of Corrections announced landmark reforms to solitary confinement protocol, referred to as “punitive segregation” by the city. The reforms limited sentences and banned the practice on inmates under the age of 21 in order to refocus resources towards rehabilitation. The Board was ahead of most of the country in instituting these reforms, preceding even the President’s changes to solitary confinement within the federal corrections system. Yet over a year and a half after these reforms were implemented, the Department of Corrections has yet to put them in place.
Punitive segregation is one of most traumatic experiences people can be subjected to in prisons and jails. The practice can have particularly harmful effects on brain development in young adults. Prolonged isolation can lead to depression and alienation. In addition to the tremendous toll solitary confinement takes on inmates, especially juveniles and those with preexisting mental illnesses, there is little to no evidence that punitive segregation helps to maintain control of facilities or reduce violence. Though the DOC has called the practice a “meaningful tool,” there is no correlation between increased time spent in solitary confinement and reductions in violence.
In 2015, the BOC gave a one-year deadline for the DOC to put the new measures in place. Yet that deadline came and went with little result. In January of 2016, the DOC asked for an extension. That extended deadline again came and went. The day after the deadline passed, a letter was sent to the Board asking for another emergency extension. The DOC went on to copy and paste the letter another five times asking for more extensions to implement the Board’s reforms. A final request for a six-month extension was ultimately shortened to three months to institute the reforms.
After 19 months, the DOC remains vague in its weekly reports about how it intends to eliminate punitive segregation for young adults. Only four young adults remain in punitive segregation at the young men’s jail on Rikers Island as of August 29. The Chief of Department has approved all punitive segregation sentences to young adults requested since the Department has gotten its most recent extension. The repeated requests for extensions indicate a lack of motivation to carry out the Board’s reforms.
It is time that the Board of Corrections puts its foot down and ends punitive segregation. The Department of Correction’s latest extension expires the day of the Board’s October meeting. The Board must pressure the Department into compliance before then or demand the Department’s higher-ups be removed and replaced with new leaders willing to follow through on these promised reforms.
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Email Shiva Darshan at [email protected].
Zoe Wyse • Sep 7, 2016 at 10:54 pm
I agree that reducing segregation is an extremely important goal and no one should experience involuntary social isolation.
I think that New York’s efforts on this have been incredibly impressive. The fact that only four young people remain in conditions of segregation shows tremendous progress and an incredible amount of hard work and innovation. I believe that no one should be left without someone with whom they can speak in a regular and positive manner. But there are also times when people may be in such an actively dangerous state that it is unsafe to have them in communal housing.
No matter how people are housed, they should have ample, warm social contact with staff. Involuntary social isolation should never be used. People should have an opportunity to work on their issues, be treated with respect, and be able to be reintegrated as soon as they can stop doing unsafe behaviors. But it is important to be realistic about people who are in an actively dangerous state.
Some people may need a bit of time to change their ways of engaging and during that time, for everyone’s safety, they may need to be in their own room or with others only under close supervision. We should be realistic. We should also give everyone ample, caring social contact. Part of caring about people is understanding the reality of the severity of their issues at any given point.
I don’t know the specific details of these four young people of course, but I am incredibly impressed and inspired by New York’s efforts. I also have great respect for the importance of allowing correctional officers to use good judgement as professionals. While there should never be a situation in which people are locked up and then deprived of social contact, if people are in an actively dangerous state they may need time and patience to work through their issues with caring guidance and support from staff.
These things should be evaluated in a transparent manner using as many professionals as possible and a creative approach. Decisions should not be made in the dark. But I think that New York deserves a tremendous amount of praise and respect for all of the hark work, compassionate care and effort they have put into this. They have really taken the lead in this area. Their work is wonderful and gives me so much hope for what other correctional systems could do as well.
It is always good to evaluate progress and try to improve, but these efforts and outcomes seem phenomenal and inspirational to me. This is huge progress! Way to go New York!
This article was very helpful in raising all of the issues and explaining the process New York has gone through. The more that issues are discussed in an open and transparent way, the more likely constructive, reasonable, creative and safe solutions can be found. Thank you so much for this wonderful article.