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July 12, 2019

NJ Governor Signs Bill to Limit Use of Solitary Confinement in State Prisons
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New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has signed a bill limiting the use of
solitary confinement in the state's prisons. The new law prohibits the
use of solitary except when there is "reasonable cause to believe that
the inmate or others would be at substantial risk of serious harm as
evidenced by recent threats or conduct." The New Jersey law also carves
out special protections for LGBTQ, disabled, elderly, young or disabled
prisoners. It also caps the number of consecutive days prisoners can be
held in solitary confinement at 20. In 2011, a United Nations expert on
torture called on the U.S. and other nations to ban solitary confinement
except in very exceptional circumstances, saying the practice could
amount to torture.


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