The New York City Department of Correction has regularly violated state law by illegally confining people in jail cells for over 24 hours at a time without access to proper medical care, a new lawsuit claims.

The Legal Aid Society sued the city’s DOC on Monday Sept. 22, 2025, claiming the department regularly violated the state’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT) by confining detainees to their cells for days at a time while on Rikers Island.

Attorneys who filed the lawsuit said their clients have been denied medical access and suffer from serious medical conditions, both physical and mental, that are exacerbated by the illegal practice.

The lawsuit calls on the courts to take action to end solitary confinement practices that have been under intense legal

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