Great news from New York City: Officials agreed on Tuesday to a - TopicsExpress

Great news from New York City: Officials agreed on Tuesday to a plan that would eliminate the use of solitary confinement for all people aged 21 and younger, a move that would place the long-troubled Rikers Island complex at the forefront of national jail reform efforts. The policy change was a stark turnaround by the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, which recently eliminated the use of solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-olds but, backed by the powerful correction officers union, had resisted curtailing the practice more broadly. Even the most innovative jails in the country punish disruptive inmates over age 18 with solitary confinement, said Christine Herrman, director of the Segregation Reduction Project at the Vera Institute of Justice. “I’ve never heard of anything like that happening anywhere else,” she said, referring to the New York City plan. “It would definitely be an innovation.” Jail reform advocates who have criticized the Correction Department for years praised the initiative. The New York Civil Liberties Union said the change would “make Rikers a leader in solitary confinement reform.” “With these reforms, New York City has taken an important stand for basic human rights and reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of prisoners, prison staff and our communities,” said Donna Lieberman, the organization’s director. “An institution as profoundly broken as Rikers Island will require wholesale reform to transform into a humane environment that emphasizes treatment and rehabilitation over punishment and isolation, and these rules are a major step forward.”