Schenectady County Legislature adopts resolution asking state to revisit HALT solitary-confinement law

The Schenectady County Legislature on June 10 passed a resolution asking the New York State Legislature to review and amend the HALT Act, the state law that restricts use of segregated confinement in correctional facilities. The vote was 12 in favor, 2 opposed and 1 excused.

The resolution, sponsor-listed as resolution 89-25, seeks a review of HALT’s application to smaller county jails and asks for what sponsors called clearer guidance and additional state resources for programming and staffing. Legislator Hughes sponsored the measure on the floor; the final motion text read as a request that the state legislature “reexamine the provisions of the HALT Act to address any unintended consequences,” according to remarks made during discussion.

Supporters of the resolution — including several legislators and correctional leadership — said they did not intend to repeal HALT’s humane goals but want practical adjustments for smaller facilities. Legislator Hughes said the measure aims to “align the act’s humane treatment standards with the practical realities of maintaining a safe and secure correctional facility for both incarcerated individuals and staff.” He described proposed amendments that would clarify administrative segregation use, establish voluntary protective custody, require strict review standards and request additional state funding for programming.

Opponents, including civil liberties advocates, formerly incarcerated people and advocates for people in custody, urged the legislature to reject the county resolution and instead press for full implementation of HALT. Melanie Trimble, regional director for the New York Civil Liberties Union in the Capital Region, told the legislature the resolution was “rife with errors and misinformation” and argued that HALT had not been fully implemented in state facilities. Formerly incarcerated speaker Anthony Dixon said, “HALT is a law that was never implemented. There's no controversy on that,” and urged lawmakers not to weaken the statute.

Community members described personal harms they attributed to solitary confinement. Tiana Taylor said long-term isolation “broke something in him that he still never recovered to this day,” referring to a relative placed in solitary. Advocate Jared Chowsow described a recent case in which HALT’s provisions, he said, helped secure representation and the release of a man who had been placed in segregation days before his release.

Schenectady County Correctional Facility leadership, represented at the meeting by Superintendent Ron Walsh, urged the legislature to provide local officials with tools to isolate individuals who prey on others in the jail while preserving programming and services. Walsh said the county had recorded increases in critical incidents and assaults since HALT took effect and asked the county to press the state for clarity and resources.

Debate included calls for more study and broader stakeholder involvement. Legislator Osterlik moved to table the resolution, arguing for a local study or state clarification; Legislator McGill also called for a pause and for a fact-based review. The motion to table failed on a voice vote, and the legislature proceeded to a roll-call vote on the resolution. After roll call, the clerk recorded the final tally as 12 ayes, 2 nays and 1 excused; the chair announced the resolution passed.

The resolution asks state lawmakers to revisit HALT’s provisions as they apply to smaller jails, and requests additional state funding for programs and technology the county said it needs to provide court-mandated services, mental-health care and rehabilitative programming. The resolution does not itself change county policy; any statutory change would require action by the New York State Legislature.

The debate drew many members of the public and several speakers with lived experience of incarceration. Legislators who voted against the measure said the county should instead demand full implementation of HALT and that the resolution contained inaccurate statements about what HALT allows. Legislators who voted for it said they supported HALT’s intent but want the state to consider practical reforms and provide funds and technical assistance to counties.

The measure’s passage sets an official county-level request to state lawmakers but does not alter operations at the Schenectady County Correctional Facility without separate local policy action or state law changes.