Sophia Opferman, Urban Justice Center – Freedom Agenda, New York, NY
As the summer continues, much of my work at the freedom agenda has consisted of reaching out to potential supporters and existing members to let them know about the various opportunities to get involved with our direct action efforts to close Rikers Island. One of the opportunities that we have been encouraging people to participate in, in partnership with the Unlock the Box Campaign, is reaching out to city council representatives and asking them to support Int. 549, which aims to reform the use of solitary confinement in city jails with the hope of working towards an all-out ban.
The current policy in New York City limits solitary confinement to 15 days with a maximum of 20 days every 60 days. Int. 549 hopes to reduce these numbers further, suggesting that the department of corrections limit the use of solitary to no more than four hours total in any 24-hour period and no more than 12 hours in any seven-day period. This effort comes despite pro-solitary sentiments such as those of Mayor Eric Adams, who believes that solitary is an essential tool for controlling violence within jails, despite overwhelming scientific data suggesting that solitary exacerbates, rather than reduces, one’s propensity for violence.
Despite the importance of these laws in targeting the use of solitary and the overall condition of life behind bars, the law as it is currently written, along with Int. 549 (https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5698267&GUID=6F47F49A-06A3-444C-BBB7 3CBFF899DD84&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=solitary) don’t seem to take into consideration the on-the-ground-reality of imprisonment in New York facilities like Rikers.
At an emergency rally held by the Freedom Agenda, along with the Jails Action Coalition, Solitary Watch, and a number of other organizations, we heard from speakers who experienced solitary confinement firsthand. One of the speakers, Candy, who uses the alias “Solitary Survivor,” told us about the more than 1000 days she spent in solitary confinement. Her testimony was heartbreaking, to say the least. Nevertheless, she believes in the power of the people to effect change, stating that she thinks of her time at Rikers as a time sent by God, one that would show her the horrors of the system so that she could lead the fight for decarceration. In the coming days, we will continue to pressure the city council to pass Int. 549 and DOC to hold their officers accountable. Direct action relies on allies in power to do their job to protect the city’s most vulnerable.