VOICES FROM THE BOX
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AT RIKERS ISLAND

SEPTEMBER 2014

VOICES FROM THE BOX
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AT RIKERS ISLAND
____________________

A REPORT BY THE BRONX DEFENDERS
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT PROJECT

Copyright © 2014 The Bronx Defenders
All rights reserved

The Bronx Defenders provides innovative
and holistic criminal defense, family defense,
civil legal services, and social work support to
indigent people in the Bronx. Our staff of
over 200 represents approximately 35,000
individuals each year and reaches hundreds
more through outreach programs and
community legal education.
The Bronx Defenders Solitary Confinement
Project was launched in the summer of 2013
to document the experiences of Bronx
Defenders clients currently or formerly held
in solitary confinement and to develop
strategies for effective advocacy on their
behalf.
For more information visit:
www.bronxdefenders.org
For press inquiries contact:
Media@bronxdefenders.org
Cover art by Molly Crabapple

Introduction

O

n a typical day, Juwan sits in his cell, waiting for his next meal. He rarely is able to go outside.
He was just seventeen years old when he first entered solitary confinement. When Juwan’s
food arrives, a correction officer often taunts him, warning him that the meal has been tainted
by urine, feces, or other bodily substances. Unlike many of the individuals held in solitary
confinement at Rikers Island, Juwan is able participate in group therapy sessions, but the limited
mental health services that he does receive do little to change his assessment of life in solitary
confinement: “I feel like I want to kill myself.” Already over 400 days into his stay in one of Rikers
Island’s solitary confinement units, Juwan does his best to get through the time by speaking with his
girlfriend on the phone whenever he can, but his despondency is more than understandable; his
infraction tickets indicate that he still has about 1,000 days left in solitary.
Between July 2013 and August 2014, the Bronx
Defenders Solitary Confinement Project completed 59
Together, the interviews expose a
interviews with Bronx Defenders clients currently or
systemic practice that is
formerly held in solitary confinement at Rikers. The
unquestionably inhumane, raises
clients interviewed were not selected for the severity of
serious Eighth Amendment
the abuse they endured or for the duration of their
issues, and deserves the label
stays in solitary confinement; the experiences included
torture.
in this report represent the daily horrors of solitary
confinement at Rikers Island. Each time an attorney or social worker at The Bronx Defenders
learned that a client had been placed in solitary confinement, she would refer that client for an
interview.1 Project members also conducted eight interviews with family members of clients about
the impact of having their loved ones held in solitary confinement. Together, the interviews expose a
systemic practice that is unquestionably inhumane, raises serious Eighth Amendment issues, and
deserves the label torture.
The majority of the clients interviewed for the Project had not been convicted of any crime; they
were placed in solitary confinement while awaiting trial. Rikers Island holds both individuals who are
detained pretrial and people who have been sentenced to less than one year of incarceration, with
the former group accounting for the majority of the island’s population. These individuals are
innocent in the eyes of the law, but are either unable to afford bail or detained without bail.2
Each time a Project member met with a client, he or she would offer to conduct an interview regarding that client’s
experience in solitary confinement and assist the client in filing pro se Article 78 forms, which currently function as the
primary method for appealing placements in solitary confinement at Rikers. Both the interviews and Article 78 filings
were completely voluntary. We would like to thank the staff of the New York City Board of Correction for assistance
with obtaining housing information for our clients incarcerated at Rikers Island.
2 Many people detained at Rikers pretrial are unable to afford low amounts of bail. These individuals are exposed to the
possibility of solitary confinement in large part due to poverty. According to the most recent New York City Criminal
Justice Agency (CJA) annual report, 43% of individuals charged with non-felony offenses for whom bail is set at $500
1

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Out of the 59 clients interviewed, 54 were male and 5 were female. Over half of the clients
interviewed were between the ages of 16 and 20 at the time of their placements in solitary. The
median age for the clients interviewed was 20. The median number of days in solitary confinement
to which clients were sentenced was 90. At least 72.9% of the clients interviewed suffered from
mental health issues.3
Table 1: Overall Statistics
Total Number of Clients Interviewed
Male Clients
Female Clients
Median Age
Median Days Sentenced to Solitary Confinement
Percent of Clients with Mental Health Issues

59
54
5
20
90
72.9%

Although all of the information gleaned from the interviews was self-reported by clients of The
Bronx Defenders, investigations conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of New York and the New York Times have confirmed that the interviews paint an accurate
picture of our clients’ experiences at Rikers. While the New York City Department of Correction
refers to this policy as punitive segregation, the interviews conducted through the Project leave no
doubt that this practice is in fact solitary confinement.
As a holistic, client-centered public defender office, The Bronx Defenders is committed first and
foremost to direct advocacy on behalf of our clients. We consider it a victory that on 59 occasions
and counting, we were able to have our clients produced from their cells to break the soul-crushing
monotony of solitary confinement. We also count as victories each time that the filing of pro se
Article 78 forms resulted in a reduction to a client’s total days in solitary. Looking ahead, our hope is
that this report will help bring about long-term reform by pushing policymakers in New York City
and beyond to listen to the stories of people who have experienced solitary confinement firsthand
and reconsider the use of this unimaginably devastating practice.4
and or less and 47% of individuals charged with non-felony offenses for whom bail is set at between $501 and $1,000
are unable to post bail. See New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Annual Report 2012, (January, 2014),
http://www.nycja.org/library.php.
3 For the purpose of this report, a client is described as suffering from mental health issues if he or she was clinically
diagnosed with a mental health issue or if he or she was receiving mental health treatment while in solitary confinement.
The actual percentages of clients suffering from mental illness are likely higher than the figures included in this report
due to undiagnosed and untreated issues. According to an internal study cited by the New York Times, approximately 40%
of all inmates at Rikers Island suffer from mental illnesses. See Michael Winerip and Michael Schwirtz, “Rikers: Where
Mental Illness Meets Brutality in Jail,” (July 14, 2014), http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/14/nyregion/rikers-studyfinds-prisoners-injured-by-employees.html.
4 The Bronx Defenders participates in the Jails Action Coalition (JAC) and collaborates with the New York Civil
Liberties Union (NYCLU), the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement (CAIC), and other groups

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Clients’ Overall Impressions of Solitary Confinement
“Solitary is torture.”
“They treat you like an animal.”
“It can make you go crazy.”
“The CO’s feel like they can do whatever they want.”
“There are so many other ways to deal with people. It breaks you down.”
“If you don’t want to starve, you don’t want to be in the box.”
“Depressed. Lonely. Away from everything.”
“You’ll think twice about putting your dog in a cage.”

The first half of this report details key areas of concern arising out of our clients’ experiences in
solitary. The second half includes recommendations for the Department of Correction and Board of
Correction to implement moving forward. Although our ultimate recommendation is that the
Department of Correction should end the use of solitary confinement, we have included a number
of intermediate steps that the Department of Correction can take in the interim. By reducing the
suffering experienced by individuals held in solitary confinement and thus better preparing them for
reentry into general population and society, these recommendations will improve the safety and
well-being of not only inmates, but also correction officers, civilian staff members, and the general
public.

working to end solitary confinement at Rikers Island. The Bronx Defenders fully supports the JAC Petition to the New
York City Board of Correction (available at www.nycjac.org/proposedrules/).

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Key Areas of Concern

Duration of Confinement

T

he lengths of time for which individuals incarcerated at Rikers are sent to solitary confinement
are egregiously disproportionate to their alleged infractions. As measured by total days and by
hours per day, the duration of solitary confinement at Rikers is inexcusably extreme.

In October of 2011, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez published a study
in which he concluded that the use of solitary confinement for more than 15 days should be
considered torture.5 Out of the 59 clients interviewed through the Project, only four spent 15 days
or less in solitary confinement. In other words, over 93% of the clients interviewed were subjected
to punishments that a leading expert in the field would consider to be torture.
In fact, most of the clients interviewed spent much more than 15 days in solitary confinement. In a
pattern that repeated itself many times over, clients recounted being sent to “the box” for an initial
period that generally ranged from 30 to 90 days, only to find that once they were in solitary it
became incredibly easy to receive additional tickets for minor offenses and various perceived slights
against correction officers. As a result, many clients reported astoundingly high total ticket times that
they had accumulated in large part from infractions that they were accused of committing while held
in solitary confinement. Michael, an 18-year old client facing over 1,000 days in solitary, recounted
how he received additional tickets each week but felt that he needed to act out in order to receive
basic services.

Total Ticket Time
16
14
12
10
Clients 8
6
4
2
0

Male Clients
Female Clients

Days

UN News Centre, Solitary Confinement Should Be Banned in Most Cases, UN Expert Says, (October 18, 2011),
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40097#.U_YDbrxdXp4.
5

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Some individuals spend fewer days in solitary confinement than their total ticket times indicate
because they are released from custody or moved to a correctional facility in a different part of New
York before the conclusion of their terms in solitary. However, a majority of the clients interviewed
for the Project had served most or all of their ticket times by the time of their interviews. The
average and median amounts of time that clients had already spent in solitary confinement prior to
their interviews were 82.8 and 62 days, respectively. Out of the 21 clients with total ticket times of
more than 100 days each, at least 14 had been in solitary confinement for 90 or more days prior to
their interviews. The two clients with over 1,000 days of total ticket time had spent approximately
380 and 450 days in solitary confinement prior to their interviews.
When clients are released from Rikers before the
Many clients spent over 23 hours
conclusion of their total ticket times, their remaining
in their cells on a typical day,
days may become “owed time,” meaning that if they
leaving only to take showers.
return to Rikers at a later point in their lives, they might
be placed back in solitary confinement even without the
occurrence of a new infraction. Even worse, some clients were arraigned on new criminal charges
due to alleged conduct at Rikers, enabling correction officers not only to extend those clients’ time
in solitary but also their time at Rikers.
The astronomical total ticket times caused extreme feelings of hopelessness in clients. This, in turn,
often led clients to feel that it did not matter if they received additional infraction tickets because
they knew that they would likely be held in solitary until they left Rikers. Victor, an 18-year-old client
with over 900 days of total ticket time, explained his feelings as follows: “I don’t give a damn…I’m
never getting out of here.”
The most common alleged infraction for which clients were placed in solitary confinement was
fighting with other inmates (52%). However, clients were also placed in solitary for non-violent
behavior such as disobeying orders, failing drug tests, and cursing at correction officers. Moreover,
at least one client was placed in solitary for fighting even after a correction officer submitted a
written statement indicating that the client had fought in self-defense.
The duration of solitary confinement at Rikers is also extreme on a day-to-day basis. Many clients
spent over 23 hours in their cells on a typical day, leaving only to take showers. Phone calls take
place inside of individuals’ cells, as do many mental health counseling sessions. For most clients,
court appearances and visits provided the only respite from confinement in their cells.

Age

T

he most disturbing revelation that the Project interviews produced was the young age of most
of the clients who spend time in solitary confinement. Twenty of the clients interviewed (37%)
are teenagers. The median age for all 59 clients interviewed was 20.

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Solitary confinement presents special challenges for young clients. According to a 2012 report by the
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, “juvenile offenders are at particular risk” of
lasting psychological damage, such as “depression, anxiety, and psychosis.”6 This may be due in part
to the fact that areas of the brain responsible for planning and for controlling impulses are not fully
developed until individuals are in their twenties.7

Ages of Clients Interviewed
12
10
8
6

Male Clients

4

Female Clients

2
0
16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24 25-30 30+

These observations were borne out by the fact that younger clients appeared to be more likely to act
out while in solitary confinement, thus leading to additional ticket time. All three of the clients
interviewed with over 900 days of total ticket time are teenagers. This suggests that beyond the
obvious humanitarian and moral reasons to refrain from placing teenagers and young adults in
solitary confinement, there are also compelling psychological or neurological grounds to prohibit
this practice.

Mental Health Treatment

D

espite the New York City Department of Correction’s pledge to end the use of solitary
confinement as a punitive measure for individuals suffering from mental illness, the Project
interviews revealed that at least 72% of the 54 male clients interviewed and four out of the
five female clients interviewed had been diagnosed with or treated for mental health issues. During
their time in solitary confinement, these clients received mental health services that were egregiously
inadequate for treating not only preexisting mental illnesses but also the ongoing trauma brought on
by extreme isolation.

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Solitary Confinement of Juvenile Offenders, (April 2012),
http://www.aacap.org/aacap/Policy_Statements/2012/Solitary_Confinement_of_Juvenile_Offenders.aspx.
7American Civil Liberties Union, Alone & Afraid: Children Held in Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Juvenile Detention and
Correctional Facilities, 3 (June 2014),
https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/Alone%20and%20Afraid%20COMPLETE%20FINAL.pdf.
6

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Although the amount and type of mental health treatment that clients interviewed for the Project
received varied widely, many clients voiced similar concerns regarding the provision of mental health
services. A frequent complaint was that many individual counseling sessions would be conducted in
the hallways of cellblocks, through clients’ cell doors. These counseling sessions were often
extremely brief and served primarily to gauge whether individuals were at risk of hurting themselves.
For obvious reasons, clients were uncomfortable speaking candidly with mental health professionals
in this setting.
Another consistent frustration among clients was that sleeping pills were often prescribed in place of
mental health treatment, presumably as an expedient and convenient measure for controlling clients’
behavior. When clients did receive psychiatric medications that had been prescribed for specific
mental health issues, their medications were rarely
supplemented by adequate counseling and talk
“When people leave solitary
therapy. To make matters worse, placement in solitary
confinement, they are never the
confinement also has the effect of disqualifying many
same.” – Patrick, 29
individuals with mental health issues from the few
programmed activities that are offered at Rikers.
Suicidal thoughts were disturbingly common among clients during their time spent in solitary
confinement. At least 16 of the clients interviewed experienced suicidal thoughts, and at least five
clients attempted to commit suicide. In the words of one client, “Everyone thinks about it.”
Shockingly, two clients reported that when they told correction officers that they were considering
killing themselves, they were taunted and told to, “hang it up good,” and call the officers, when they
were “about to die.” Indeed, many clients suffering from mental illnesses reported that correction
officers would taunt them daily.
Multiple clients also recounted being placed in heavy anti-suicide smocks after revealing suicidal
thoughts or actions to correction officers. In one case, a 20-year-old client was kept in an antisuicide smock for multiple days before meeting with a mental health professional. Although the
Department of Correction employs suicide prevention assistants (SPA’s) who are responsible for
monitoring individuals at risk of hurting themselves, one client reported that the SPA’s only take
action if they witness a suicide attempt in progress.
Clients placed in the Restricted Housing Unit (RHU), which was purportedly designed to integrate
intensive mental health treatment into solitary confinement, fared little better than their peers in
other solitary confinement cellblocks. In RHU, inmates are able to participate in a limited amount of
group therapy as well as weekly one-on-one counseling sessions. Extended periods of improved
behavior in RHU are rewarded with privileges such as watching television for a limited amount of
time and leaving solitary confinement before the full amount of ticket time has elapsed. However,
clients who failed to attain these rewards – usually on account of severe mental illness – were left in
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virtually the same situation as they would have been in were they placed in other solitary
confinement units. Moreover, even clients in RHU who believed that the group therapy and
individual counseling sessions were helpful felt that the treatment still fell far short of their needs
and did little to counterbalance the crushing isolation of solitary confinement.
The futility of RHU belies how misguided it is to expect any individual’s mental health to improve
or stabilize while in solitary confinement. No amount of mental health treatment can make up for
the trauma that individuals experience while in solitary. Indeed, not a single client interviewed
reported that his or her mental health had improved during his time in solitary. This is because
solitary confinement causes and exacerbates mental health issues.8 Kimorney, a 20-year-old client
who had no history of mental health problems prior to entering solitary confinement, discussed the
experience of feeling his mind begin to unravel. During his time in solitary, Kimorney became
depressed, experienced suicidal thoughts, and was prescribed medication. Soon after returning to
general population, Kimorney found himself back in solitary confinement for acting out. In the
words of Patrick, a 29-year-old client who received a verdict of not guilty on all counts in his
criminal case after spending 130 days in solitary confinement, “when people leave solitary
confinement, they are never the same.”

Basic Services

I

ndividuals held in solitary confinement at Rikers struggle to receive even the most basic services,
such as food, showers, and access to phones. In many cases, clients interviewed reported that
they resorted to “sticking up the slot,” meaning that they would refuse to move their hands or
arms from the slots in their cell doors, in order to gain access to one of these services. Clients would
then receive additional ticket time as punishment for “sticking up the slot,” even though it was often
used only as a last resort to receive basic services that they should have received in a timely manner.9
Indeed, “sticking up the slot” was responsible for drastic increases in many clients’ total ticket times.
The most common complaint voiced by clients
regarding their experiences in solitary confinement at
Rikers concerned food. Forty-four clients (74.6%)
stated that they did not receive enough food or that the
food made them sick. Particularly among younger

One client described his time
experience in solitary as the
hungriest that he had ever been in
his life.

American Civil Liberties Union, Alone & Afraid: Children Held in Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Juvenile Detention and
Correctional Facilities, 3-5 (June 2014),
https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/Alone%20and%20Afraid%20COMPLETE%20FINAL.pdf. See also Jails Action
Coalition, Petition to the New York City Board of Correction, (2014), www.nycjac.org/proposedrules/, 18-20.
9
Similarly, a recent decision released by the New York City Office of Administrative and Trials Hearings (OATH)
describes a situation in which a man held in solitary confinement at Rikers Island was beaten by multiple for correction
officers after he stuck up the slot in response to being denied access to a phone. See Dep’t of Correction v. Reid, OATH
Index Nos. 1898/14 & 1901/14 (June 18, 2014), http://archive.citylaw.org/wpcontent/uploads/sites/17/oath/12_Cases/14-1898.pdf.
8

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clients, the meager amount of food provided in solitary confinement was a very serious concern.
Although clients rarely missed meals, they reported that portions were often smaller than what they
would expect to receive in general population. Multiple clients reported skipping meals after
correction officers spat in their food or intimated that they had tainted the food with various bodily
fluids.
Unlike in general population, clients were not allowed to obtain extra food from commissary. As a
result, many clients lost significant amounts of weight while in solitary. One client described his
experience in solitary as the hungriest that he had ever been in his life. Of particular concern to
many clients was the schedule of meals in solitary confinement, which denies them access to any
food between dinner, which is typically served around 5:00 or 6:00 pm, and breakfast, which is
served early in the morning around 5:00 or 6:00 am. Jhaleel, a 22-year-old client, observed that
solitary at Rikers is designed “for you to lose weight and be in a struggle.”
Although individuals held in solitary confinement at Rikers are supposed to receive access to at least
one phone call per day, clients reported that phone calls were sometimes withheld as a punitive
measure and at other times for no apparent reason. One client recounted how he flooded the floor
of his cell in order to demand a phone call after he had been denied access to a phone for three days.
Moreover, some clients suspected that correction officers had reprogrammed the phone numbers
that clients had submitted before entering solitary (individuals in solitary are allowed to choose two
phone numbers for phone calls, which are then programmed into a phone system). Lacquan, a 20year-old client with a history of mental illness, discovered on multiple occasions that correction
officers had reprogrammed his mother’s phone number to fast-food restaurants. When Lacquan
protested, they would taunt him and then tell him that his phone call was over.
When clients are able to place phone calls, their conversations are capped at six minutes each, a
shockingly low amount of time compared to the duration of solitary confinement. If a call goes
directly to voice mail or is not picked up on the first attempt, the client will have to wait until the
next day for his next phone call, making relationships with family members and significant others
incredibly difficult to maintain. One client interviewed
whose family lives outside of New York City in a
“You’ve got to be basically dead to
different part of New York State was unable to call his
go see a doctor.” – Jhaleel, 22
family once during his stay in solitary confinement due
to his inability to afford long-distance rates.
The Minimum Standards published by the Board of Correction allow correction officers to withhold
showers as a punitive measure. Predictably, correction officers have abused this power, contributing
further to the dehumanization of individuals held in solitary at Rikers. An 18-year-old client named
Michael reported that he had not showered for five days prior to being interviewed. Michael
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explained that he had recently received an additional ticket for refusing to return to his cell, which he
had done only after his demands for a shower and medical attention due to an abscess on his back
were ignored.

Medical Services

C

lients consistently reported that medical attention is only prompt when there is a significant
amount of blood visible. In the words of one client, “You’ve got to be basically dead to go see
the doctor.” Shyla, a 17-year-old client, recounted how a correction officer watched her suffer
through a severe asthma attack, but did nothing because the officer suspected that Shyla was faking
the episode in order to leave her cell. “I had to find my pump before I died in my cell. I had to look
for it,” Shyla explained. “I didn’t know where it was. I could have died.” Multiple clients also stated
that when they were able to receive medical treatment, it often consisted solely of pain pills.
Clients’ accounts of the severe lack of access to medical services are consistent with the recent
deaths of Andy Henriquez and Jerome Murdough, who both died from medical emergencies that
did not involve visible wounds.1011

Due Process & Other Legal Issues

T

he hearing process that the Department of Correction follows for ruling on placements in
solitary confinement is indisputably and unfairly stacked against inmates. Despite the fact that
solitary confinement is a much more severe punishment than regular incarceration and may
cause lasting psychological damage, individuals accused of infractions at Rikers must face hearings
without an advocate to argue on their behalf. Even worse, the “adjudication officers” who serve as
the sole arbiters for these hearings are correction
officers employed by the Department of Correction,
The hearing process that the
colleagues of the same officers whose accusations lead
Department of Correction follows
to hearings.
for ruling on placements in
solitary confinement is
Each infraction hearing involves only an adjudication
indisputably and unfairly stacked
officer and the accused. The adjudication officer begins
against inmates.
by asking the inmate to state his name and book and
case number, and then reads the incident report for the alleged infraction. The adjudication officer
continues by asking the inmate if he would like to speak, and offers the following options for
pleading: guilty, not guilty, and guilty with an explanation. Although the hearings are recorded,
multiple clients recounted that the adjudication officers for their hearings stated before turning on
Dareh Gregorian, “Mother files wrongful death lawsuit over 19-year-old son who died on Rikers Island in solitary
confinement,” New York Daily News, (August 20, 2014), http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rikers-island-death-19year-old-leads-lawsuit-article-1.1909832.
11 Jake Pearson, “NYC Inmate ‘Baked to Death’ in Cell,” Associated Press, (March 19, 2014),
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/apnewsbreak-nyc-inmate-baked-death-cell.
10

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the recording device that a guilty plea would lead to a reduction in the amount of time listed on the
infraction ticket.
Beyond the obvious conflict of interest in having correction officers serve as judges for hearings and
the attempts to intimidate individuals into pleading guilty, the hearings also serve as improper
interrogations for potential criminal cases. Indeed, one client summed up the entire hearing process
as follows: “It’s a chance to testify against yourself.” Multiple clients were arraigned on new charges
in Bronx Criminal Court on account of allegations related to incidents at Rikers.
After a decision is reached in a hearing, individuals are given a piece of paper explaining the result of
the hearing, as well as an internal appeals process. Most clients interviewed did not understand the
internal appeals process. The few clients that did attempt internal appeals were unsuccessful. The
Department of Correction provided neither Bronx Defenders attorneys and social workers nor
clients’ families with any sort of notification when individuals were placed in solitary confinement,
making timely Article 78 filings impossible for many clients.12
Placement in solitary confinement also presents serious challenges to attorney-client relationships.
Once individuals enter solitary confinement, they understandably become fixated on leaving solitary
and can become distracted from important discussions and decisions related to their criminal cases.
The deterioration in mental health that many clients experience while in solitary confinement also
presents substantial difficulties for communication between clients and their attorneys.

Outdoor Recreation

I

ndividuals held in solitary confinement at Rikers
Individuals held in solitary
Island rarely venture outdoors, despite the
confinement at Rikers Island rarely
requirement in the Minimum Standards that all
venture outdoors.
individuals in solitary be able to enjoy one hour of
outdoor recreation per day. This is due in large part
to the great lengths that correction officers go to in order to avoid taking people outside.
Each morning, correction officers compile a list of people in solitary confinement who would like to
go outside. When compiling this list, officers usually walk past cells as early as 4:00 am in the
morning and without warning.13 To compound matters, officers often change the time at which they
create the list so that it is difficult for individuals in solitary confinement to anticipate when they
need to be at the doors of their cells. As a 20-year-old client named Kerry recounted, “They like to
Clients are often unaware of the option to file Article 78 forms. While clients are able to meet with an attorney from
the Legal Aid Society once they have filed Article 78 forms, they often learn of this option much too late; the Article 78
process is lengthy and becomes moot if a client leaves solitary confinement before the process concludes.
13 Nikita Stewart, “Injury Claims Against New York’s Correction Dept. Doubled in Five Years, Report Says,” New York
Times, (August 19, 2014), http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/nyregion/injury-claims-against-new-yorks-correctiondept-doubled-in-5-years-report-says.html?_r=0.
12

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creep, hold their keys to not make noise – quiet as a mouse! They don’t say ‘yard,’ they turn off their
radios. I’ve never seen nothing like it.” Marlon, another 20-year-old client who experienced
difficulties getting outside, said that the “yard CO” would retaliate against people who made noise to
alert their neighbors to his presence by refusing to let those people go outside. If an individual asked
to go outside after the “list” had been compiled, his request would be denied. Some clients
interviewed for the Project reported that they had never gone outside while they were held in
solitary confinement.14
Clients who were able to go outside discovered that “outdoor recreation” consists of standing in a
small cage. Upon making this discovery, many clients declined to go outside in the future, explaining
that the experience of standing outside in what looks like an animal cage was so degrading that it
outweighed any desire on their part to leave their cells for an hour.

Organized Activities

A

lthough individuals held in solitary confinement likely have the most to gain from positive,
structured interactions with their peers, they have no access to organized activities or group
programs, aside from a limited amount of group therapy for individuals in the Restricted
Housing Unit (RHU).
Despite the fact that many of the clients interviewed
for the Project were young enough to be in high
Despite the fact that many of the
school, not one of them was able to participate in
clients interviewed for the project
group educational programs. Some clients’ requests to
were young enough to be in high
participate in school programs were flat-out denied.
school, not one of them was able
Others found that “school” in solitary confinement
to participate in a group
consists of having educational materials dropped off
educational program.
through a slot in their doors, with no access to a
teacher or to fellow students. Clients with learning
disabilities or who otherwise struggled with reading were given absolutely no support, despite
expressing their desire to learn.
Similarly, clients were unable to access any type of work, recreation, and self-help group programs.
The absence of these types of organized activities is emblematic of the cruel indifference expressed
by the Department of Correction toward individuals held in solitary confinement.

Similarly, the Board of Correction found that fewer than 1 in 10 people held in the Central Punitive Segregation Unit
(CPSU) at Rikers are able to go outside while held in solitary. See New York City Board of Correction, Barriers to
Recreation at Rikers Island’s Central Punitive Segregation Unit, (July 2014),
http://www.nyc.gov/html/boc/downloads/pdf/reports/CPSU_Rec_Report.pdf.
14

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Impact on Clients’ Families

T

he damage inflicted upon clients as a result of solitary confinement extended to their families
and friends. Family members of clients recounted how they not only suffered from anxiety and
depression as a result of clients’ placements in solitary confinement but also endured frustrating
and humiliating experiences during visits to Rikers.
The primary impact of placements in solitary
confinement on clients’ family members was to make
“They treat us like prisoners too.”
communication extremely difficult. Family members
– Mother of 20-Year-Old Held in
reported that they were often unaware of a client’s
Solitary Confinement
placement in solitary until they heard directly from a
client during a visit or phone call, sometimes after multiple days of being unable to contact the
client. In one case, the sister of a client traveled to the Vernon C. Bain Center near Hunts Point only
to find out that her brother had been moved to solitary confinement on Rikers Island. Family
members of several different clients stated that clients did not receive their letters and that they were
highly suspicious that correction officers had tampered with the mail. When family members were
able to speak on the phone regularly with clients held in solitary, they found that the six-minute
restriction severely limited their ability to have meaningful conversations.
Family members also reported experiencing high levels of stress as a result of clients’ placements in
solitary confinement. The wife of one client stated that she had lost weight and frequently cried
while her husband was in solitary. The mother of a 20-year-old client who attempted suicide while in
solitary recounted how fearful she was that her son would die at Rikers. “I started getting deeply
depressed after he tried to commit suicide,” she explained. “I didn’t want to go nowhere, I wasn’t
motivated to do nothing but visit him – but I got help for myself, to be an example to my son.” The
girlfriend of a teenage client expressed anxiety over not knowing how much her boyfriend’s mind
and personality would change as a result of solitary confinement. “It’s been brutal on his body, and
mentally; he’s depressed,” she told an interviewer. “It’s going to be really hard, as far as his
transition…[because] I don’t know who I’m dealing with.”
When family members traveled to Rikers, they were met with additional obstacles and, in some
cases, harassment. On numerous occasions, family members arrived at Rikers only to be told that
the visit had been canceled, that the client’s visit privileges had been revoked, or – falsely – that the
client had refused to leave his cell for the visit. Female family members and significant others also
stated that correction officers would attempt to flirt with them. On at least one occasion, correction
officers conducted a security pat down that a client’s family member felt was inappropriately
intrusive. Discussing the treatment that she received during visits to Rikers, the mother of one client
said, “They treat us like prisoners too.”

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Recommendations

Eliminate or Drastically Reduce the Use and Duration of Solitary Confinement

T

he Department of Correction should eliminate the use of solitary confinement. Short of that,
the Department should exclude all individuals under the age of 25 as well as all individuals
suffering from mental health issues from solitary. The
The Department of Correction
Department should also cease to use solitary
should eliminate the use of solitary
confinement as a punitive measure for non-violent
confinement.
incidents and minor scuffles. When solitary
confinement is used, it should be restricted to fifteen days per ticket, and 60 days in total duration
per 180-day period.15 Incarcerated individuals should enjoy at least four hours per day outside of
their cells.16 The Department of Correction should also end the practice of “owed time,” whereby
individuals are held in solitary confinement for infractions committed during previous stays at
Rikers.

Reform the Hearing, Appeals, and Notification Processes

I

ndividuals accused of infractions that could potentially result in solitary confinement should have
attorneys or advocates present for their hearings. These attorneys or advocates should not be
employees of the Department of Correction; neither should the deciders of facts for the hearings.
A court part with an in-person administrative law judge should be established in the Bronx to
adjudicate these hearings.
Pre-hearing detention, the practice by which individuals are placed in solitary confinement prior to a
hearing, should require written justification and the approval of the Commissioner of the
Department of Correction. Pre-hearing detention should be capped at 24 hours.
Individuals’ attorneys should be notified when infraction tickets are issued, when hearing dates are
set, and when hearing outcomes are determined. Additionally, incarcerated individuals should be
allowed to enlist the help of attorneys when filing appeals.17 The Bronx Defenders also supports the
full list of hearing and documentation reforms proposed in the JAC petition to the Board of
Correction.18

Jails Action Coalition, Petition to the New York City Board of Correction, (2014), www.nycjac.org/proposedrules/, 4-5.
Id, 2.
Individuals held in solitary confinement at Rikers are currently able to consult with an attorney from the Legal
Aid Society once they file Article 78 forms. However, they are not able to consult with an attorney for the internal
appeals process, and are often unaware of the option to file Article 78 forms.
18 Jails Action Coalition, Petition to the New York City Board of Correction, (2014), www.nycjac.org/proposedrules/, 4-6.
15

16
17

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Improve Access to Mental Health Therapy for All
Individuals in Solitary Confinement

I

t is imperative that the Department of Correction improve access
to meaningful mental health therapy, even if individuals with
preexisting mental illnesses are excluded from solitary
confinement. Both group therapy and individual counseling sessions
should occur multiple times per week, in confidential spaces outside
of individuals’ cells.
Given the potential for solitary confinement to cause mental health
issues in individuals with no history of mental illness, special care
should be taken to remove individuals from solitary confinement as
soon as mental health professionals suspect that they might be
developing mental health issues. Similarly, suicidal ideation and
suicide attempts should be taken seriously and treated with intensive
mental health therapy and removal from solitary confinement.
Whenever possible, efforts should be made, with the consent of
incarcerated individuals, to cooperate with any psychiatrists,
psychologists, social workers, or other mental health professionals
from whom they have received treatment in the past.

Intermediate
Recommendations













Provide Group Programs, Access to Commissary, and
True Outdoor Recreation

T

he inability of individuals held in solitary confinement at Rikers
to participate in group programming, access additional food
through commissary, or spend time outdoors without being
confined to cages is not only unjustifiable but also needlessly
contributes to the torturous conditions of extreme isolation.






Restrict the duration of solitary
confinement
Prohibit the use of solitary
confinement for individuals under
25 years old
Prohibit the use of solitary for
individuals with mental illnesses
Reform hearing and appeals
processes
End the practice of “owed time”
Notify attorneys of placements in
solitary
Improve medical and mental
health care
Develop alternatives to solitary
confinement
Increase duration of phone calls
Allow for outdoor recreation
outside of cages
Grant access to group
programming
Increase meal sizes and allow for
access to commissary
Improve mechanisms for
reporting abuse
Develop training and incentives
for correction officers
Facilitate increased contact with
families

Participation in group programming would alleviate at least some of
the psychological torment of solitary confinement and better prepare inmates for reentry into
general population and society. A similar result could be expected from allowing individuals held in
solitary to spend time outdoors without going through the dehumanizing experience of being
trapped in a cage.
Allowing individuals to access additional food from commissary is perhaps the easiest policy
recommendation listed in this report. Given the consistency of clients’ remarks in interviews
regarding the lack of adequate food in solitary confinement, it is imperative that the Department of

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Correction immediately increase portion sizes and provide access to commissary for individuals held
in solitary. Allegations of tampering with inmates’ food should be taken very seriously.

Explore Alternatives to Solitary Confinement That Do Not Involve Isolation

I

n late 2013, the Department of Correction announced the launch of its Clinical Alternative to
Punitive Segregation (CAPS) program. According to the Department, the program is “modeled
on in-patient forensic wards.” Project members were able to conduct two interviews with Bronx
Defenders clients who participated in CAPS in early 2014. These clients’ reports on CAPS are
encouraging. However, the Department’s previous attempts at providing care for individuals with
mental health issues give plenty of reason for caution and skepticism. Moreover, the interviews
indicate that very few individuals are participating in CAPS at this time.
The two Bronx Defenders clients who have participated
The Department of Correction can
in CAPS gave the program mixed reviews. One of the two
create safe, controlled
clients had previously spent extended amounts of time in
environments for individuals who
solitary confinement at Rikers and at a correctional facility
might pose security issues without
in upstate New York. He reported that CAPS was a
the use of solitary confinement.
drastic improvement upon solitary confinement. Both
clients had received clinical diagnoses of serious mental
illnesses, and reported that they had access to adequate treatment in CAPS. Their primary
complaints were that correction officers and civilian staff members played favorites with CAPS
participants and that individuals could still be ejected from the program for poor behavior despite
their mental health issues. While it is clear that CAPS is not a perfect program, it is equally clear that
the pilot is a considerable improvement upon solitary confinement.
According to the interviews, there are currently three CAPS units at Rikers, with approximately 12
participants in each unit. Individuals in CAPS are only locked in their cells during nighttime hours.
Each weekday, there are 2-3 group therapy sessions, which are part of a larger CAPS curriculum.
Both clients felt that the group sessions were helpful. In their spare time, CAPS participants are
allowed to watch television and play board games. Daily outdoor recreation occurs in an open yard,
and participants are able to access additional food through commissary. Each CAPS participant is
required to have a weekly one-on-one session with an assigned mental health professional, but
additional appointments are also available. One of the two clients also reported that at least some
CAPS participants were given special visiting privileges for an organized family day.
In order to graduate out of CAPS, participants must sustain good behavior through all four “levels”
of the program. However, participants are also given the option of staying on in CAPS. One of the
two clients interviewed about his experiences in the program stated that he would consider staying
in CAPS because the large crowds in general population make him feel anxious.

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While it is much too early to label CAPS a success, the pilot program demonstrates that the
Department of Correction can create safe, controlled environments for individuals who might pose
security issues without the use of solitary confinement or other practices that involve extreme
isolation. One of the two clients interviewed had spent hundreds of days in solitary confinement on
account of many infraction tickets; he is precisely the type of person whom the current system at
Rikers treats as unredeemable or unmanageable and subjects to solitary confinement as a result. Yet
this client’s mental health appeared to have stabilized at least somewhat during his time in CAPS,
and he spoke about the program in mostly positive terms. Moving forward, the Department of
Correction should recognize that when situations arise where it may be necessary to temporarily
separate individuals from general population, solitary confinement is not necessary for establishing a
controlled setting.

Improve Training, Incentives, and Oversight for Correction Officers

T

he behavior and demeanor of the correction officers responsible for the safety and security of
individuals held in solitary confinement often belied a lack of understanding regarding mental
health issues, and in many cases led to increases in clients’ total ticket time due to clients’ need
to “stick up the slot” to gain access to services. Correction officers should receive improved training
not only on how to interact with individuals with mental illness, but also on how to deescalate
potential confrontations with individuals held in extreme isolation.19
Most clients reported that many correction officers
Correction officers should have an
seemed indifferent to clients’ needs, and that officers
interest in seeing individuals
were content to do as little as possible during their
conclude their time in solitary
shifts. Incentives should be put in place to encourage
without receiving additional
correction officers to provide individuals in solitary
infraction tickets.
confinement with services expediently. Furthermore,
correction officers should have an interest in seeing
individuals conclude their time in solitary without receiving additional infraction tickets.
Finally, inmates, correction officers, and civilian staff members must all be able to report
misconduct in solitary confinement units without the threat of retaliation. The City should consider
contracting with a private, non-profit advocacy group to investigate allegations of abuse and
misconduct.

Facilitate Increased Communication with Families

T
19

he Department of Correction should facilitate increased communication between individuals
held in solitary confinement and their families, both through phone calls and visits to Rikers.
Phone calls should be extended to at least 15 minutes per day, and inmates should be given

Jails Action Coalition, Petition to the New York City Board of Correction, (2014), www.nycjac.org/proposedrules/, 13-14.

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multiple attempts to complete calls that go directly to voice mail, especially if correction officers are
responsible for delays in providing access to phones.
Given the trauma of solitary confinement, it should be easier for family members to visit individuals
held in solitary, not harder. The Department of Correction should take steps to ensure that the
family members of individuals held in solitary are not turned away from Rikers.

Conclusion

S

olitary confinement is a driving force in the cycle of violence at Rikers that has placed inmates,
correction officers, and civilian staff in harm’s way for much too long. This brutal practice
inflicts severe harm on inmates and exposes correction officers to an increased risk of violence by
forcing them to interact with individuals who have experienced serious psychological trauma.
Solitary confinement also hurts the general public by greatly impairing incarcerated individuals’
reentry into society. While it is clear that the Department of Correction must be able to address
immediate threats to safety and security at Rikers Island, it is equally clear that extreme isolation is
unnecessary and unproductive for this goal.20 The Department of Correction must end or drastically
reduce the use of solitary confinement.
We are proud to bring the voices of individuals who have experienced solitary confinement
firsthand into the conversation concerning the urgent need for reforms to this practice. Their
experiences offer a glimpse into the terrifying reality of solitary at Rikers. Moving forward, we are
eager to work together with allied groups, the Board of Correction, and the Department of
Correction to end the use of solitary confinement at Rikers.

20

Atul Gawande, “Hell Hole,” The New Yorker, (March 30, 2009),
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/03/30/hellhole, citing Chad S. Briggs, Jody L. Sundt, and
Thomas C. Castellano, Effect of Supermaximum Security Prisons on Aggregate Levels of Institutional
Violence, Criminology Vol. 41, Issue 4, 1341-1376.

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360 East 161st Street
Bronx, NY 10451
(718) 838-7878
www.bronxdefenders.org