New York Will End Long-Term Solitary Confinement in Prisons and Jails Isolation for more than 15 consecutive days will be barred in prisons and jails starting next March after years of efforts to restrict the practice. All prisons and jails in New York will be prohibited from keeping minors and pregnant prisoners in solitary confinement.Credit...Seth Wenig/Associated Press April 1, 2021 In a far-reaching move that will fundamentally change life behind bars in New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday signed into law a bill that will end the use of long-term solitary confinement in prisons and jails. The new law is set to restrict prisons and jails from holding people in solitary confinement — nearly all-day isolation — for more than 15 consecutive days. It also bars the practice entirely for several groups, including minors and people with certain disabilities.