A New York state judge says a New York prison is violating state law by keeping inmates in solitary confinement longer than allowed.
State Supreme Court Judge Kevin Bryant said in a ruling filed Thursday that the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) had not presented sufficient evidence to support accusations that it was not complying with state law’s restrictions on solitary confinement.
“DOCCS has a responsibility to provide administrative records to support its actions, and it has not met this responsibility,” Bryant wrote.
The ruling comes after the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and New York Prisoner Legal Services filed a class action lawsuit last year alleging that DOCCS frequently ignores the state’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, which was signed into law in 2021 by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo.
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A cell at Rikers Island prison in New York City on January 28, 2016. (Associated Press)
“No one is above the law, and prison officials are no exception,” the New York City Human Rights Association said in a statement Thursday on X. “We will be watching closely to ensure that DOCCS begins to comply with the law.”
DOCCS said in a statement Associated Press The department said it is reviewing the judge’s decision and pointed to several recent changes the department has made since Director Daniel Martucello took over a year ago, including updates to the department’s segregated confinement policy, including additional screening procedures like a new “Confinement Justification Record Form” that must be completed and signed by all examiners, hearing officers and supervisors.
State law limits solitary confinement in most cases to three consecutive days or six days within a 30-day period.
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New York’s prison system violates state law limiting the amount of time inmates can be held in solitary confinement, a state court has ruled. (Getty Images)
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But inmates can be subject to longer periods of solitary confinement if they commit “violent and disruptive” acts, such as injuring someone or acquiring a deadly weapon. In those cases, extended restrictions are allowed, up to 15 consecutive days, or 20 days out of a 60-day period.
In the lawsuit, the advocacy groups accused DOCCS of placing inmates in solitary confinement despite not meeting the strict standards set out in the law.
One of the plaintiffs, Luis Garcia, was sentenced to 730 days in solitary confinement for throwing what he believed to be bodily fluids at a prison guard, but advocacy groups argue that did not meet the standards for solitary confinement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
