New York State prisons have violated state law by holding inmates in solitary confinement for extended periods, a judge ruled on June 20 following a class action lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York.
The lawsuit was filed in April 2023, alleging that the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) had violated the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT) by subjecting inmates to extended periods of segregated confinement.