During his nearly three decades representing East Elmhurst in Albany, Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubrey has been known as a champion of criminal justice reform, leading the effort to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws and sponsoring legislation on behalf of the incarcerated, including access to mental health treatment.
Most recently, Aubrey’s HALT Solitary Confinement Act was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, March 30.
“Solitary confinement has been established by the United Nations as a method of torture,” Aubrey said. “The HALT Act will not eliminate this practice, but it will be regulated in a way that we think is conducive to the long-term betterment of both those who are incarcerated as well as the communities they return to. HALT will improve conditions of confinement, and create more humane and effective alternatives to confinement.”
For nearly a decade, criminal justice reform advocates have been urging passage of the HALT Act, the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, which would limit isolation to 15 days. Studies have shown that isolation with little or no human contact for extended periods of time often leads to lasting trauma, as well as unintended consequences that are detrimental to an individual’s rehabilitation.
The legislation limits the use of segregated confinement and implements alternative rehabilitation methods, including the creation of residential Rehabilitation Units, expands the definition of segregated confinement, and eliminates the use of segregated confinement for vulnerable incarcerated populations.
“Generations of incarcerated men and women have been subjected to inhumane punishment in segregated confinement with little or no human interaction for extended periods of time and many experience emotional and physical trauma that can last for years,” Cuomo said. “By signing the HALT Solitary Confinement Act into law, we are reforming New York’s criminal justice system by helping ensure the effective implementation of proven, humane corrections policies. I applaud the bill’s sponsors and look forward to continuing our work to reform the era of mass incarceration and usher in a safer, and more just Empire State.”
The legislation was shepherded out of the Correction Committee by Assemblymember David I. Weprin, the chair of the committee.
“Solitary confinement is inhumane and unfair in any situation. Today, New York State took a big step in correcting this injustice,” Weprin said. “The stories of those who have endured such treatment have been heartbreaking to hear and I am proud to have played a role in ending this brutal practice for New York’s incarcerated individuals and their families.”
Councilman Daniel Dromm wants to see the City Council follow Albany’s lead.
“Today New York State is making history. Governor Cuomo has signed HALT Solitary Confinement Act into law,” Dromm said. “For over a decade, I have been fighting tirelessly with advocates to end this form of torture. Now it’s time for New York City to go even further for our city jails and pass our bill, Intro 2173.”
