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Welcome to HALT Solitary in New York Prisons, our social press kit focused on the ongoing, multi-layered crises unfolding in prisons across New York due to the illegal corrections officers' strike and the partial suspension of the HALT Solitary Act.
What’s happening, and why?
On December 9, at least 17 officers and staff were involved in beating facility resident Robert Brooks to death on video. The week those involved were set to be indicted for murder, corrections officers at nearly all of New York’s 42 prisons staged an illegal strike, demanding the rollback of reforms meant to protect incarcerated people from abuse.
The strike has caused harrowing conditions, summoned the National Guard, and resulted in the death of at least 7 people incarcerated in New York. As of now, elected officials have given into officer demands by suspending portions of the the HALT Solitary Confinement Law, making it easier to put people in solitary, conditions widely recognized as torture. See below for more coverage and resources on the developing situation.
How can you help?
Use your platform to raise awareness about the connection between solitary confinement, carceral violence, accountability for corrections officers, and the importance of the HALT Solitary Confinement Law. Together, we can end solitary confinement and break the cycle of oppression in our prison system.
Further Reading
➡ The Correction Officers’ Role in This Crisis: 15 N.Y. Prison Workers Placed on Leave as [Incarcerated Person’s] Death Is Investigated
➡ The UN Declares Solitary Confinement as Torture: United States: Prolonged solitary confinement amounts to psychological torture, UN Expert
➡ The HALT Solitary Confinement Act & Its Rollback: HALT Campaign Statement on Illegal HALT Suspension
➡ Racial Disparities & Who Suffers the Most: Solitary Watch: The Racial Disparities of Solitary Confinement
Raise your voice to HALT Solitary Now! Amid the ongoing catastrophe in New York prisons, Governor Kathy Hochul [tag govkathyhochul] has purportedly agreed to illegally suspend portions of the HALT Solitary Confinement Law.
Post across socials using [tag govkathyhochul] and #SolitaryIsTorture to demand that Gov. Hochul immediately:
🚨 Restore personal and legal visits for all people currently incarcerated in New York State prisons
🚨 Restore and fully implement the HALT Solitary Confinement Act [tag haltsolitary_ny]
🚨 Ensure access to all basic needs for people inside: food, medication, mental health and medical care, heat, electricity, showers, commissary, religious services, college and educational classes and other vital programs
🚨 End staff brutality, sexual violence, and other abuse of people in prison
Go to bit.ly/StandWithOurLovedOnes for more information and ways to take action.
Until the law has been restored
Raise your voice to HALT Solitary Now! Amid the ongoing catastrophe in New York prisons, Governor Kathy Hochul [tag govkathyhochul] has purportedly agreed to illegally suspend portions of the HALT Solitary Confinement Law.
Post across socials using [tag govkathyhochul] and #SolitaryIsTorture to demand that Gov. Hochul immediately:
🚨 Restore personal and legal visits for all people currently incarcerated in New York State prisons
🚨 Restore and fully implement the HALT Solitary Confinement Act [tag haltsolitary_ny]
🚨 Ensure access to all basic needs for people inside: food, medication, mental health and medical care, heat, electricity, showers, commissary, religious services, college and educational classes and other vital programs
🚨 End staff brutality, sexual violence, and other abuse of people in prison
Go to bit.ly/StandWithOurLovedOnes for more information and ways to take action.
Until the law has been restored
