Correctional Association of New York Releases Second Report on HALT Solitary Confinement Law
September 29, 2025
Contact: media@correctionalassociation.org
New Analysis Details Two-Year Review of New York's Solitary Confinement Law
BROOKLYN, NY – The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) has released its second report on the implementation of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. The new report, Two Years of HALT: Use of Segregated Confinement, Implementation of Core Requirements, and Perceptions Across the System, covering the period from January 2023 to July 2024, documents ongoing issues with implementation of the law and highlights the critical function of independent oversight in documenting stakeholders’ experiences living and working with HALT.
Key findings from Two Years of HALT: Use of Segregated Confinement, Implementation of Core Requirements, and Perceptions Across the System include:
Increased Use of Isolation: Since HALT's implementation, the total number of people in disciplinary confinement—either in Special Housing Units (SHU) or Rehabilitative Residential Units (RRU)—has consistently exceeded pre-HALT levels.
Race and Age Disparities in Placement in Confinement: According to data publicly released by DOCCS, Black individuals, who make up just under half of the total prison population, account for over 60% of people in the SHU and RRU. Similarly, young people aged 22 to 30 were overrepresented, making up 42% of the average SHU and RRU population despite representing 22% of the overall prison population.
Mixed Impact of Programs: Most respondents in the SHU and RRU reported that having access to out of cell time while serving a disciplinary sanction was a significant benefit of HALT. However, a number of individuals reported barriers to accessing those privileges.
Safety Concerns: Many incarcerated people and staff expressed a pervasive sense of diminished accountability and safety post-HALT, citing a lack of deterrents for misbehavior and failures.
The report provides a series of recommendations for DOCCS, the Governor's office, and the New York State Legislature, such as improving public data transparency, modernizing record-keeping, expanding access to meaningful programs and incentives, and developing evidence-based interventions that promote safety in prisons.
“The HALT Act was a landmark achievement for human rights in New York, but its impact is only as strong as its implementation,” said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director at the Correctional Association of New York. “Solutions to the challenges introduced by the implementation of HALT must consider the safety and well-being of incarcerated people and staff alike. It is critical that these solutions be developed concurrently, as they are intrinsically linked to overall institutional safety and to the long-term success of the law.”
The full report, Two Years of HALT: Use of Segregated Confinement, Implementation of Core Requirements, and Perceptions Across the System, is available at: http://bit.ly/4nZPHKR
About CANY
CANY, under §146, of New York’s Correction Law, is charged with visiting and examining the state's correctional facilities to identify and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated individuals, and the administration of policy promulgated by the executive and legislature. Founded in 1844 by concerned citizens of the state and deputized by the state to provide monitoring and oversight of the state’s prisons in 1846, CANY is one of the first organizations in the country prescribed to administer civilian oversight of prisons
