Suicides have skyrocketed in state prions, data shows
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25 people died by suicide in state prisons last year, which is more than double the previous year and the most since 2000, a new report says.AP file photo by Bebeto Matthews
By Ryan Schwach
Suicides in state prisons have soared in the last several years, and solitary confinement is a leading contributor, a new report claims.
According to the new report from two groups advocating against the state’s use of solitary confinement, 25 people died by suicide in state prisons last year, which is more than double the previous year and the most since 2000.
Of those 25, nine occurred within solitary confinement, which the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has been accused of continuing despite a law barring its use.
The report said that the rate of suicides and self-harm incidents in isolated settings are “vastly disproportionate” compared to incidents in general population, with 60 percent of all self-harm incidents coming in isolation.
Self-harm, described by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Terry Kupers, includes cutting, cutting off body parts and swallowing or inserting foreign objects under the skin.
Additionally, the report says that people died by suicide in isolation units at a rate more than seven times higher than people in non-isolation settings.
“Given that these units hold a relatively small percentage of people in DOCCS prisons, the rates of death by suicide among people in one of these isolation settings are vastly disproportionate compared to the rates of death by suicide among people in non-isolation settings,” the report said.
So far this month, at least five people have died in state prisons. Although the locations of those who died have not yet been reported, at least one of the five people who died by suicide, Anthony Douglas, has been reported to have died in solitary confinement.
“The number of people dying by suicide in solitary confinement in New York State prisons is as predictable as it is devastating,” said Kupers. “Solitary confinement causes great human damage, and actually does not have any benefits. It does not diminish prison violence, largely because solitary confinement destroys social skills including the capacity to settle disputes peacefully. Human beings are social creatures who need human engagement and meaningful productive activities to sustain mental stability, healthy relationships and productive pro-social pursuits. In solitary, relatively stable people evolve very debilitating psychiatric symptoms, including massive anxiety, paranoia, severe depression, mounting anger, and compulsive repetitive acts.”
In 2022, the HALT Solitary Confinement Act – which limits the length of time a person may be held in segregated confinement – was passed by the state legislature, however, advocates as well as a judge have said its use has continued illegally.
Most recently, DOCCS began putting inmates in isolation using an exception to the law that allows for a suspension of HALT due to an emergency across the state’s prisons. DOCCS used this justification earlier this year during a wildcat strike by correctional officers. But after the strike ended, HALT remained suspended well into June, advocates say.
“The number of people dying by suicide in New York’s prisons is horrific, and the number of people dying by suicide in solitary confinement because DOCCS has failed to implement the HALT Solitary Confinement Law is unconscionable,” said Queens and Brooklyn State Senator Julia Salazar, who was lead sponsor of HALT and who is the chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction. “These individuals should still be alive today.”
Advocates argue that since DOCCS has failed to properly follow the HALT Act, the suicides and incidents of self-harm are highter than they should be.
“Supermajorities of the State Senate and Assembly enacted HALT because decades of evidence shows the devastating impact of solitary confinement,” said Salazar. “The full implementation of HALT is critical for preventing additional suicides and for improving overall safety.”
Just last week, legal advocates were calling on the state to implement the law, and the Legal Aid society called on the courts to hold DOCCS in contempt of court if they continue to hold prisoners in solitary confinement despite the court order.
“We have been sounding the alarm for years that solitary confinement leads to death,” said Jerome Wright, the co-director of the HALT Solitary Campaign. “Yet, despite decades of evidence showing this direct link and even after a supermajority of the legislature and the Governor enacted the HALT Solitary Confinement Law, DOCCS refuses to follow the law to end its torturous and deadly practices.”
“The Governor and DOCCS must stop this illegal regime of deadly torture and must fully implement the HALT Solitary Law immediately, Wright added. “DOCCS has proven time and again that it can not keep people in its custody alive, let alone healthy, safe, and well, the Governor, DOCCS, and the legislature must do everything in their power to release people from these deadly prisons, including thousands of people who have already spent decades incarcerated and proven their readiness for release.”
In response, DOCCS said that “any suicide is one too many,” and added that the department has continued efforts to mitigate the issue including the launching of a Suicide Prevention Task Force and increased staff training.
