NYC was supposed to end solitary confinement. Here's why Mayor Eric Adams issued an emergency order to delay.
NEW YORK -- Solitary confinement was supposed to officially end Sunday at New York City jails, but Mayor Eric Adams issued an emergency order suspending parts of the new law.
The City Council overwhelmingly passed the bill to ban solitary confinement. The mayor vetoed it, and the council overrode him. But now Adams is using his executive authority, declaring a state of emergency and issuing an executive order, to stop it from taking effect, at least for now.
What is Local Law 42?
Local Law 42 is a bill designed to make the city's jails safer. This year, at least four inmates have died in jail custody, and correction officers have long complained about unsafe conditions.
Part of the law restricts how long inmates can be isolated to four hours a day.
In addition to the increased workload, Adams claims the law doesn't allow adult inmates to be restrained while being transported to and from jail.
Public Advocate Williams at odds with Mayor Adams
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the man who introduced the bill, said the mayor needs to read it again.
"It doesn't say that you can't use restraints to transport people to Rikers. That's just a made-up thing, but this administration's pattern is to just make up things when they've lost an argument and to use abusive tactics," Williams said.
"We just want to just have time to analyze the law and decide the proper way to implement it without bringing harm to the inmates and bringing harm to the corrections officers," Adams said.
A spokesperson for the City Council is also blasting the mayor's move, saying, in part, "The reality is that the law already included broad safety exemptions that make this 'emergency order' unnecessary and another example of Mayor Adams overusing executive orders without justification."
Adams said the order is temporary and he expects the review to be wrapped up by October. Critics say he's had months to review it because it was passed in January.