NAACP New York State Conference Statement on NYSDOCCS’ Decision to Ignore the Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2025 

CONTACT: Chris Alexander (calexander@nysnaacp.net)

New York, New York – The NAACP New York State Conference is profoundly disturbed with  the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision (DOCCS) recent  decision to abandon the legally mandated implementation of unspecified provisions of the HALT  Solitary Confinement law. 

Prolonged solitary confinement is torture and, contrary to the narrative of the moment, it makes  everyone in prisons and jails less safe. This law was passed to end the routine inhumane abuses  of solitary confinement by DOCCS. 

The unsealing of the indictment of officers involved in the murder of Robert Brooks was  supposed to be a moment of accountability for those who have abused their power within our  correctional institutions. Instead, DOCCS has used this moment to embrace the culture of  brutality in New York State prisons. DOCCS should not be allowed to decide when it is  convenient to follow the law. 

We urge DOCCS to reverse course immediately and work to identify better solutions that will  keep correctional officers and incarcerated individuals safe.