New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda is backing a piece of legislation that would ban solitary confinement stays of over 15 consecutive days and prohibit pregnant women and adolescents from serving in isolation cells.
Advocates who want to abolish solitary confinement told ncbnewyork.com that the practice of isolating prisoners has shown no difference in the behavior of inmates who were treated more humanely.
A spokesperson from the Correction Officers' Union said solitary confinement is needed to separate "dangerous" people from the prison general population.
In a recent investigation by the Justice Center, they found 8 of the 25 prisons they visited failed to meet existing solitary confinement regulations.
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