NYC Board of Correction unanimously votes to end solitary confinement
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The New York City Board of Correction on Tuesday voted to end solitary confinement in the five boroughs' jails, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The independent oversight board's vote was a unanimous one, de Blasio said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
"New York City is going further than any jail system in America to ban solitary confinement once and for all," he said in a statement. "Through our work with our Board of Correction, we have found a plan that will provide a safe and humane environment for those who are incarcerated and officers alike."
As part of the overhaul, the city's jails will replace solitary confinement with an "alternative disciplinary model" that includes a minimum of 10 hours out of cell and interactions with "at least one other person," the release said.
The new model, which goes into effect this coming fall, will also include "individualized behavioral support plans," support from experienced case managers and therapeutic programming, among other measures, according to the release.
"This rule ends solitary confinement in the New York City jail system once and for all, replacing it with a system that balances the need for safety in the jail and the need to provide the care and support to address behaviors for all concerned," Board of Correction Chair and CEO Jennifer Jones Austin said in her own statement.
"These reforms are necessary for a safer and more humane jail system, for people in custody and staff," she added.
