The Legal Aid Society is condemning a new executive order by Mayor Bill de Blasio which delays reforms to solitary confinement practices and removes protections that were already in place, as reported by THE CITY.

The order guts the New York City Board of Correction’s recent regulations placing boundaries on punitive segregation and creating more closely supervised disciplinary units, but went even further to permit jailers to lock all people in custody – even those accused of no misconduct – into their cells 24 hours a day for no reason, by suspending the longstanding rights of pre-trial detainees in general population to spend some parts of the day outside of their individual cells.

The Mayor also permitted the jailers to chain individuals to desks when they are in school or programs. The Order further denies people access to the law library, which in jails is tantamount to depriving them of the ability to work with their counsel to prepare their defense.

“This is a stain on the city’s human rights record without parallel in this administration and should be lifted immediately,” said Mary Lynne Werlwas Director of The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project.