Filed Date: May 8, 2024
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
This is a state court class action brought in Kings County (Brooklyn) against the state of New York by incarcerated disabled and mentally ill individuals. Plaintiffs alleged that defendants placed them in solitary confinement, despite the state banning the use of solitary confinement against disabled and mentally ill inmates.
The case was filed in May 2024, by Disability Rights Advocates (with co-counsel from the Legal Aid Society and Winston & Strawn LLP) on behalf of incarcerated New Yorkers with disabilities, against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (“DOCCS”) and the New York State Office of Mental Health (“OMH”) for alleged ongoing violations of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (“HALT”). HALT went into effect on March 31, 2022, limiting the permissible use of solitary confinement in New York prisons and jails; it prohibits officials from placing prisoners with disabilities in solitary confinement. The complaint alleged that DOCCS and OMH have continued to subject numerous people with disabilities to solitary confinement, which is defined under HALT as “any form of cell confinement…for more than 17 hours a day.”
In March 2025, the court issued an order requiring DOCCS to explain which provisions of the HALT Act they suspended in response to a prison staff strike.
In June 2025, the court granted class certification and denied the State’s motion to change venue.
State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Solitary confinement
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 8, 2024
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
New York State prisoners with disabilities.
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief: