STATEMENT FROM NEW YORK COUNTY DEFENDER SERVICES ON THE MAYOR’S EMERGENCY ORDER TO STOP LOCAL LAW 42
July 29, 2024
Contact: Lupe Todd-Medina
(917) 202-0116
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
STATEMENT FROM NEW YORK COUNTY DEFENDER SERVICES
ON THE MAYOR’S EMERGENCY ORDER TO STOP LOCAL LAW 42
(NEW YORK, NY) – Stan Germán, Executive Director at the New York County Defender Services, a public defender office in Manhattan, issued the following statement:
“Solitary confinement is cruel, traumatic, and as of yesterday, illegal. There is no justification for its continued use in our jails.
The Mayor’s decision to gut the implementation of Local Law 42 is a complete abuse of power that will lead to more suffering for our clients on Rikers Island, not less.
New York City jails have been in a state of emergency since Mayor Adams took office. Since the beginning, he has failed to take responsibility for the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Now that City Council has stepped in and demanded improved outcomes, including ending the torture of solitary confinement once and for all, the emergency order ensures that the status quo continues. The order does not offer any solutions to the violence and dysfunction that plague Rikers Island.
We are deeply troubled by this recent action and will continue to fight alongside the City Council and the Public Advocate to ensure that all of our clients are treated with the basic human dignity that they are entitled to under the law.”
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