new york mayor eric adams vetoed the bill On Friday, solitary confinement will be banned in city jails.
“City jails are becoming safer under our administration, but this bill would have led us in the wrong direction,” he said in a press release. “Vetoing this bill will protect the safety of people in our custody and correctional officers.”
“Our administration does not support solitary confinement in prisons, and New York City has not used solitary confinement in years,” he continued. “In fact, we were able to significantly reduce key indicators of violence in our correctional system without ever putting people in solitary confinement.”
If you pass, law According to the Associated Press, prisons will be required to allow inmates to leave their cells and interact with others for at least 14 hours each day (maximum limits on cell restraint, according to the Associated Press). ) 4 hours.
Last month, the New York City Council voted to advance the bill, with Jumaane Williams, the city's public defender, arguing that solitary confinement is “indefensible.”
“Committing a violation in prison can result in the loss of privileges, not basic human rights,” Williams said in a press release. “People in solitary environments are isolated, denied human contact and connection, have no support, and emerge from a situation worse than when they entered, some never coming out at all. “Banning solitude is good for public safety, not just in name but in practice.”
House Democrats introduced a bill last July that would abolish solitary confinement in federal prisons, jails and prisons.
“Solitary confinement is a moral disaster,” said Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri), who led the bill's introduction, adding that the practice is “mental torture.”
“This practice is traumatic for those affected, harmful to the community, and isolating for loved ones,” she said. “Furthermore, Black and brown people, young people, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized communities are disproportionately harmed.”
Adams, a former police chief, also vetoed another bill aimed at increasing transparency in law enforcement's interactions with civilians, arguing that it would hinder law enforcement operations. did.
“We don't want to handcuff the police. We want to handcuff the bad people. That's the goal,” he said. “The important thing is to not interfere with their work.”
The City Council confirmed to The Associated Press that it is willing to override both vetoes.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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