Advocates rally in Lower Manhattan ahead of City Council vote to ban solitary confinement

Formerly incarcerated individuals and their supporters rallied Tuesday against the pressure on the New York City Council to strike down a bill that would ban solitary confinement in city jails.

The Jails Action Coalition and the #HALTsolitary Campaign spoke out at City Hall Park on Dec. 19, demanding that elected officials pass Intro. 549 — the culmination of an over decade-long fight — which would prohibit the Correction Department from isolating inmates in their care.

Opponents of the bill, however, argue that the legislation would restrict the way Correction Department personnel discipline, potentially endangering them. Among the opponents is Mayor Eric Adams, who has raised concerns that the legislation would lead to “uncertainty” among staff patrolling Correction facilities like Rikers Island.

Though the mayor has threatened to veto the bill if it hits his desk, it could be come law anyway through a City Council override vote.

Protesters on Tuesday hope that the legislation becomes law one way or another, and brings about reform in the city’s jails.

“Nobody should be held in long-term isolation, how does this happen,” solitary confinement survivor Victor Pate told the gathering. “Now it is time to change, we must demand change.”

Formerly incarcerated individuals and their supporters railed against the New York City Council on Tuesday, one day before politicians are set to vote on a bill that would ban solitary confinement in city jails. Photo by Dean Moses

The council is set to make the vote on Dec. 19, with several elected officials already setting their feet in the ground in support of the bill. According to Councilmember Carlina Rivera, 38 lawmakers have signed up as co-sponsors of the bill — the number constituting a veto-proof majority, which makes some feel confident that the legislation will become law.

“That is a majority. But we have to make sure people show up and they speak up and say it is finally time to end solitary confinement here in New York City,” Rivera said.

Councilmember Carlina Rivera says 38 lawmakers have signed up as co-sponsors of the bill. Photo by Dean Moses

Supporters of the bill argue that placing inmates in solitary confinement is tantamount to torture, citing research that backs up these claims. The Vera Institute states that 24% of those who have been held in solitary are more likely to die in their first year released from prison compared to those who have not.

Moreover, 78% are more likely to die from suicide while a staggering 127% are more likely to die from a drug overdose in the first two weeks of their release.

Candie Hailey spent three years on Rikers Island for a crime of which she was later found innocent. During her stay, she would spend 27 of her 29 months in solitary confinement, something she described as a living hell.

Hailey revealed that things became so dire she attempted to end her life on multiple occasions.

One advocate held a banner reading, ‘Rikers is a death sentence.’ Photo by Dean Moses

“Out of those 1,168 days. I spent 1,122 in solitary confinement,” Hailey said. “I’m free but the nightmares never go away. I used to try to commit suicide just to end the torture. The officers would say ‘hurry up.’”

It is due to horror stories like these that advocates, survivors, and elected officials are pushing for the bill to be passed on Dec. 19, bringing a Christmas gift to those still subject to solitary confinement.

amNewYork Metro reached out to DOC for comment on this issue and is awaiting a response.

Signs read ‘no more solitary confinement.’Photo by Dean Moses