Mayor Zohran Mamdani put New York City\u2019s troubled jail system on the clock to end solitary confinement \u2014\u00a0 issuing yet another executive order to unravel his predecessor\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n
Mamdani signed an executive order directing jail officials to implement a 2024 city law that essentially banned the controversial practice \u2014 a measure fought by then-Mayor Eric Adams as critics claimed it would send violence surging at Rikers Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was\u00a0elected\u00a0because of my values, and my promise to always be honest with New Yorkers \u2014 and now is a moment for blunt truths,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Mamdani signed an order Monday aimed at solitary confinement. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0previous\u00a0Administration\u2019s refusal to meet their legal obligations on Rikers has left us with troubling conditions that will take time to resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani\u2019s order directs the city Department of Correction to work with\u00a0the federal monitor\u00a0overseeing Rikers who blocked implementation of the law to figure out a plan\u00a0by Feb. 19 that would comply with\u00a0 Board of Correction mandates regulating jail conditions.<\/p>\n
The new democratic socialist mayor\u2019s order directs the city Department of Correction and Law Department to figure out a plan within 45 days, or by Feb. 19, to comply with new Board of Correction mandates regulating jail conditions. <\/p>\n
Mamdani has yet to name a new DOC boss and is relying on an Adams holdover, Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, to lead operations for now.<\/p>\n
The far-left pol has signed 10 executive orders just a week into his tenure, as well as two emergency orders, as he looks to unravel Adams era policies.<\/p>\n
Rikers has long been under scrutiny. AP<\/p>\n
One of his first acts as mayor was undoing executive orders that were issued by Adams after his September 2024 indictment on corruption charges, which was ultimately dropped.<\/p>\n
City Council members, with the backing of Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, easily passed legislation \u2013 Local Law 42 \u2013 banning solitary confinement at the sprawling Rikers jail complex in 2024. <\/p>\n
The bill also limits how the DOC can use emergency lock-ins and forces the department to report when it uses de-escalation confinement.<\/p>\n
The conditions at Rikers have long been described as hellish. AP<\/p>\n
But Adams resisted implementing the measure, claiming city jail staff hasn\u2019t used solitary confinement since 2019, and sparking a legal showdown with the council.<\/p>\n
A federal judge ultimately sided with Adams, finding a solitary confinement ban could\u00a0lead to a spike in violence at the jail.<\/p>\n
The head of the union representing correction officers, Benny Boscio, said in a statement staff don\u2019t lock away inmates for 24 hours straight, but need \u201cpunitive segregation\u201d for violent prisoners. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast year alone, there were nearly 700 assaults on our Correction Officers \u2026 These numbers would be much higher if we had no deterrents and were completely prevented from separating violent inmates from the general\u00a0population,\u201d the Correction Officers Benevolent Association president said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The order is meant to improve jail conditions. Lorenzo Steele Jr.<\/p>\n