Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement in response to new polling that shows broad nationwide support for policies to restrict and end the use of solitary confinement. His bill with Committee on Criminal Justice Chair Carlina Rivera to create an enforceable ban on solitary in New York City has supermajority support in the City Council in spite of continued efforts to advance misconceptions and misinformation about the legislation.
"This new polling shows that there is nationwide bipartisan support for ending solitary confinement, a torture that is currently permitted and practiced within our city. Furthermore, this support falls in line with the framework our bill codifies – prohibiting the harm of isolation, while allowing for separation to ensure safety, de-escalation, and investigation of misconduct.
"Americans are united against continuing torture. Yet here in New York City, purported to be a progressive beacon, some still deny not just the need for an enforceable ban, but the existence of solitary confinement in our jails at all. If the city wants to ‘own’ the problems on Rikers, it has to admit that this problem still exists. Continuing to repeat falsehoods about solitary, and the bill to ban it, is harmful to people on both sides of the bars.
"Our bill has supermajority City Council support, and it’s time to pass it. As elected leaders, we need to stand up for our values and stand behind the facts and data, not the hysteria and misinformation. Rikers is in crisis, and changing that status quo will require coming together to address the reality of the harm, not ignoring it."
Read the full poll and methodology from Data For Progress here.
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