ALBANY, N.Y. — A Supreme Court judge in Albany has temporarily restored the HALT Act, the policy that limits solitary confinement which prison guards rallied against during the statewide strikes.
The HALT Act limits the use of solitary confinement to 15 straight days. It also bans solitary confinement for anyone younger than 21 or older than 55, along with anyone who’s pregnant or has disabilities. On Tuesday, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Department of Corrections for not enforcing the HALT Act.
Guards who walked the picket line said the policy has made prisons more dangerous since it passed in 2022, by limiting their ability to discipline inmates. During the strikes, some guards told News10NBC that a permanent end to the HALT Act was their number one demand.
In a deal to end the prison guard strikes, the state agreed to suspend the HALT Act for 90 days and said the Department of Corrections can exercise discretion on the act. In April, about a month after the strikes ended, the Legal Aid Society filed a class action lawsuit, arguing that the Department of Corrections had illegally suspended the act. Six inmates joined the lawsuit, saying that the prisons violated their rights by depriving them of outdoor time and interaction with others during prolonged periods of solitary confinement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections says they’re reviewing the decision.
Judge temporarily restores HALT Act, policy that prison guards rallied against during strikes WHEC.com.
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