solitary confinement

In response to widespread unsanctioned walkouts by corrections officers, New York state temporarily suspended parts of the HALT Act, which limits the use of extended solitary confinement in prisons and jails. Local criminal justice reform activists argue the law has never been fully enforced.

The Southport Correctional Facility near Elmira is one of six prisons throughout New York state that will close.

"Freedom from torture is the most basic of human rights, and yet every year tens of thousands of New Yorkers are subjected to it in the form of solitary confinement."

As the New York state legislature resumes session today (Wednesday), advocates and some legislators are calling for limits on solitary confinement in state prisons.