A group of about 10 men held at Rikers Island on civil charges like failing to pay child support were locked in isolated cells for 23 hours a day for nearly a month in November, according to lawyers and documents obtained by Gothamist.
It’s unclear why the men were held in these conditions, which are usually reserved for people who have assaulted others while in jail. Spokesperson Frank Dwyer said the units the men were held in are typically used to secure detainees at risk of harm in general population — also known as protective custody. He said cells have “day rooms” attached with TVs and phones that detainees can access during out-of-cell-time.
However, lawyers and advocates say the isolated units still amount to solitary confinement – a practice that city officials maintain they have not used in several years, and that the City Council is set to outlaw as early as this week. Jail staff who have worked in the unit and attorneys who have filed lawsuits on behalf of people detained said the cells are small, dark and isolated. While the attached cages may have phones and televisions, those amenities are only accessible when cells are unlocked, according to lawyers and documents.
The City Council is expected to approve a bill on Wednesday that would outlaw solitary confinement as a matter of human rights for everyone – even violent offenders. The push comes as lawyers and federal officials seek to wrest control of Rikers Island from the city due to persistent violence and deaths in the jails.
Alexander Reinert, a law professor at the Cardozo School of Law, said the conditions the men were held in are unacceptable under any circumstances, and “certainly improper for people held civilly.”
Reinert was one lawyer representing plaintiffs detained in the unit where the men were held – called the North Infirmary Command – from 2018 to 2022. His clients won a $53 million settlement with the city after they claimed in legal papers that they were illegally…
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