This week’s pick of news and commentary about solitary confinement:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued an executive order that suspended parts of a new solitary confinement ban, Local Law 42. The order prevented a variety of checks on confinement, including a four-hour limit on detaining people in “de-escalation confinement” and other limits on restraints. AP News | The move, which came the day before Local Law 42 was set to go into effect, is the latest update in a months-long debate over NYC jail reform. The City Council already approved the bill twice—the second time to override Adams’ veto—and proponents of the legislation criticized Adams’s order. “This is a shameful tactic, another desperate abuse of power by this administration to try and ignore laws it opposes,” Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. Daily News 

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Incarcerated workers in Louisiana won a recent victory in their fight to end low-paid or unpaid labor on the “farm line,” a practice which dates back to emancipation, when prison labor often replaced slavery on plantations. After a group asked for a halt on farm work during extreme heat in an emergency filing, a US District Judge issued a temporary restraining order until the facility improved conditions. While the state claims that prisons are now adding sunscreen and tents for shade, the ruling comes amidst a larger class-action lawsuit which declares the farm line a form of cruel and unusual punishment, and amidst a larger struggle across the South. One formerly incarcerated man from Arkansas, for example, spent time in solitary for refusing to pick cotton on a prison farm line. ABC News

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In New Mexico, a bill that would limit solitary confinement is currently advancing through the state legislature. The proposed legislation would ban prisons and jails from placing people under 18 or people with mental illness in solitary confinement, and institute other limits on the practice. Correctional facilities, for example, would be required to report on their use of solitary confinement to the state. Taos News

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President Joe Biden signed the Federal Prison Oversight Act into law on July 25th, establishing more independent channels for investigation and regulation of the federal prison system. Under the legislation, an independent ombudsman will investigate complaints compiled from a hotline and online form. The Justice Department’s inspector general must also inspect every federal prison facility and publicly report their findings. PBS News 

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Despite widespread allegations of abuse at Winn Correctional Center, an ICE jail in Louisiana, and years-long calls to close the facility, the Biden Administration recently extended the jail’s contract temporarily. With ICE likely poised to extend the contract for another five years, The Appeal studied Winn’s “systematic culture of abuse and mismanagement,” which included the use of solitary confinement for those with mental illness. Staff also used pepper spray against strikers, and physical violence against immigrants. The Appeal     

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Action Alerts for the week:

Jeremy Busby, a prolific prison journalist incarcerated in Texas, and recipient of a Ridgeway Reporting Project grant, needs our help. Jeremy has been facing constant retaliation from staff for his work exposing prison conditions, as well as violence from other incarcerated individuals, and he is now in solitary confinement. He believes he will be safest in protective custody, and also needs medical attention for a long-injured shoulder. Please sign this petition for Jeremy, and also send this email to officials at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, seeking safety and medical care for Jeremy. Your participation will only take a few minutes, but can make a huge difference for Jeremy!

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