New York City Council Votes to Ban Most Uses of Solitary Confinement in City Jails

But former police captain Mayor Eric Adams says the legislation, if implemented, would ‘unquestionably make our city less safe’.

This March 16, 2011 file photo shows a barbed wire fence outside inmate housing on New York's Rikers Island correctional facility in New York. Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo, File

The New York City Council voted on Wednesday to approve new legislation that would ban most uses of solitary confinement in city jails, arguing the practice is “inhumane.”

The bill, Introduction 549-A, sponsored by public advocate Jumaane Williams, was passed by the Democratic-controlled council in a 39-7 vote.