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February 27, 2009

Paterson Seeks Delay of Solitary Confinement Ban for Mentally Ill
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Here in New York, a coalition of mental health, legal and prison rights
advocates are opposing a move by Governor David Paterson to delay
implementation of a bill that would bar holding seriously mentally ill
prisoners in solitary confinement. Under the bill, mentally ill
prisoners would be transferred to secure treatment facilities rather
than kept in twenty-four-hour solitude. Advocates for mentally disabled
prisoners have argued that solitary confinement is inhumane and has
driven some to suicide and declining mental health. The measure is
supposed to take effect in 2011. But Governor Paterson’s new budget
calls for delaying its implementation until 2014.



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