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Settlement Comprehensively Overhauls Solitary Confinement in New York Prisons
Loaded on Nov. 8, 2016
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2016, page 40
Filed under:
Prison Reform,
Settlements,
Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
Location:
New York.
On December 16, 2015, the State of New York and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) announced a final settlement agreement that will change many aspects of the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s use of solitary confinement, commonly known as “the box.” Important changes include …
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More from this issue:
- When Prison is Not Enough: The Rise (and Perhaps the Fall) of the Supermax Prison
- Local Jails Increasingly Refuse to Comply with ICE Detainers, by Joe Watson
- Maryland DOC Suspends Volunteer, Drops Literature Program
- Oregon “Incorrigible Masturbator’s” Life Sentence Unconstitutionally Disproportionate, by Mark Wilson
- Ohio Federal Court Dismisses Suit Against Doctor Over Prisoner’s Suicide
- Maryland Prisoner’s Death Occurs Under Unusual Circumstances
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- Alabama Prisoner Exonerated after Serving 30 Years on Death Row
- Former Pennsylvania Prison Doctor Sentenced for Fraud; Accomplices Convicted
- Mold-infested Prisons Sicken Guards and Prisoners
- Nevada Attorney General Investigates Shooting of Two Handcuffed Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Company Offers Educational Tablets to Prisoners, with Mixed Results, by Matthew Clarke
- United Kingdom: Prison Book Ban Overturned, by Derek Gilna
- Full Senate Report on CIA Torture Remains Classified, Largely Unread, by Matthew Clarke
- Corrections Corporation of America, Rocked by Setbacks, Changes its Name, by Derek Gilna
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- Colorado’s “Make My Day” Law No Longer Applies to Prisoners, by David Reutter
- Canadian Solitary Confinement Deaths Result in Rare Lawsuits, Eventual Reforms, by Mark Wilson
- Pennsylvania: Former Cop Indefinitely Jailed for Failure to Supply Passwords
- Justice Policy Institute Report Challenges Reformers to Focus on Violent Crimes, by Derek Gilna
- Arkansas Secretary of State Issues Faulty Felon Data, Thousands Purged from Electoral Rolls
- Federal Judge Sanctions Idaho DOC for Misleading Special Master in Balla Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Illinois Jail Detainee’s Inadequate Food and Contaminated Water Claims Survive Initial Dismissal
- Preliminary Injunction Granted in Class-action Suit Challenging Private Probation Services in Tennessee, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit Reverses Finding that Seizure of Prisoner’s Legal Mail Stated Claim
- Wisconsin: Prison Hunger Strike Reaches Crisis Point
- Settlement Comprehensively Overhauls Solitary Confinement in New York Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Inquisitorial Telephonic Hearing to Screen Civil Rights Case Deemed Unlawful
- The Rape Victims Silenced by Their Prison Cells
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- Federal Court Upholds New York Prison System’s Denial of Motorized Wheelchairs; Second Circuit Reverses, by Matthew Clarke
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- News in Brief
More from Matthew Clarke:
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- Nebraska Lifts Suspension of Native American Religious Practices Hours Prior to Federal Court Hearing, June 1, 2026
- Florida Federal Court Excoriates BOP for Health Care Failures, Grants Prisoner Early Release to Seek Treatment for Possible Breast Cancer, June 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Dismisses Federal Prisoner’s Challenge to BOP Denying His Request for Expedited Transfer to Prerelease Custody, June 1, 2026
- Federal Court Partially Enjoins Enforcement of Georgia’s S.B. 185 Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Health Care in DOC, June 1, 2026
- Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard, June 1, 2026
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Public Records Act, False Imprisonment.
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Settlements, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Wisconsin Governor Issues Executive Order to Restore Commutations, June 1, 2026. Prison Reform, Criminal justice system reform, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Pardons/Clemency, Reduction of Prison Population.
- Ombuds Report Doesn’t Rule Out Racism or Retaliation at Red Onion State Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Failure to Treat, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement.
- $250,000 Paid by Maine to Former Prisoner Held in Solitary Confinement—Which the State DOC Says Doesn’t Exist, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Americans with Disabilities Act, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Arkansas Supreme Court Bows to Governor’s Board of Correction Takeover, June 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Settlements, State Legislation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- California Pays $15,000 to State Prisoner Who Claimed He Was Targeted by Guards, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Failure to Protect (General), Summary Judgment, Settlements.
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
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