The Fortune Society Statement about City Council’s Passage of Intro. 549 and Outlawing Solitary Confinement

(December 20, 2023 – New York, NY)—JoAnne Page, President/CEO of The Fortune Society, issued the following statement about the passage of Intro. 549 and Outlawing Solitary Confinement.

“The Fortune Society applauds the City Council for standing for the humanity of people in our city jails by passing Intro. 549 and outlawing solitary confinement. For too long, and increasingly so over the past two years, Rikers has been a stain on our city – deadly to those who are held there and dangerous to those who work there.

Solitary confinement does not make anyone in the jail safer and instead causes immediate and lasting psychological harm that ultimately has resulted in the deaths of some of our fellow New Yorkers, even years after release.

Subjecting anyone to the torture of solitary confinement is a practice that should have been banned long ago. In the name of Khalief Browder, Layleen Polanco, their loved ones, and the countless others who have suffered through solitary confinement, Fortune heralds this long overdue day. We urge the Mayor to sign this bill into law.”

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ABOUT THE FORTUNE SOCIETY: Founded in 1967, The Fortune Society has advocated on criminal justice issues for over five decades and is nationally recognized for developing model programs that help people with criminal justice histories to be assets to their communities. Fortune offers a holistic and integrated “one-stop-shopping” model of service provision. Among the services offered are discharge planning, licensed outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS services, career development and job retention, education, family services, drop in services and supportive housing as well as lifetime access to aftercare. For more information, visit www.fortunesociety.org.