New York City's mayor has issued an emergency order suspending parts of a new law aimed at banning solitary confinement in local jails. The order was signed a day before the law was set to take effect, with concerns raised for the safety of both staff and detainees.
The emergency order, declared by Mayor Eric Adams, temporarily suspends sections of the law that set a four-hour time limit on holding prisoners in 'de-escalation confinement' and restrict the use of restraints on prisoners during transportation or within jails. The four-hour limit can only be exceeded in exceptional circumstances, with prisoners to be released from de-escalation confinement as soon as they no longer pose an imminent risk of harm.
