Christie vetoes bill limiting solitary confinement in N.J. prisons

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Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Statehouse in this file photo. (Michael Mancuso | For NJ.com )

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TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie shot down an attempt to curtail the use of solitary confinement in New Jersey's prisons on Monday, vetoing legislation that would have strictly limited the practice and assailing its key sponsor in a fiery veto message.

The move was a blow to civil liberties advocates in New Jersey, who point to a national reform movement that has led to limiting the practice, also known as isolated confinement, in several states.

The measure sought to require prisons and jails to use isolated confinement only as a last resort, restricting its use to 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a two-month period.

It also sought to ban the practice for inmates who are mentally ill, pregnant or have other special needs, requiring daily medical evaluations for prisoners in isolation.

But citing recent regulatory changes within the state Department of Corrections that somewhat limited administrative segregation and other types of prisoner isolation, Christie in his veto message criticized the legislation as an "ill-informed, politically motivated press release" that "seeks to resolve a problem that does not exist in New Jersey."

He attacked the bill's prime sponsor, Sen. Ray Lesniak, writing that the Union County Democrat "has no idea about law enforcement."

The governor also repeated claims from corrections officials that New Jersey does not use solitary confinement at all. While the bill was being considered, the Department of Corrections maintained it uses "restrictive housing units" to remove inmates from the general prison population.

Reform advocates say restrictive housing has the same ill effects on prisoners as solitary confinement.

"(Solitary confinement) exists in New Jersey, it's abused in New Jersey, and it causes mental illness, anger and resentment when it is abused," Lesniak said. "It totally makes rehabilitation efforts more difficult."

Lesniak said the governor was "going against the national tide" by vetoing the bill, pointing to recent efforts to roll back the use of isolation in federal prisons and states including New York.

"It's distressing that Gov. Christie feels the need to personally attack those he disagrees with," Lesniak said.

"It's further indication that he's unfit to be the governor and New Jersey would be better off he joined the Trump administration sooner rather than later," Lesniak added, referring to speculation that Christie may be in line for a position in President-elect Donald Trump's White House.

In his veto message, the governor said the use of administrative segregation, a form of isolation, in New Jersey's prisons "is carefully considered, and where appropriate, is guided by medical and mental health professionals considering the individual health conditions of an inmate while balancing the need to protect other inmates and staff."

Alexander Shalom, a senior attorney for the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the new regulations implemented by the Department of Corrections this year don't go nearly as far as the vetoed legislation.

For example, while the bill would have limited isolation to mere weeks at a time, the new regulations allow sanctions of up to a year per infraction, Shalom said. The civil rights attorney said he recently represented a prisoner who had been given three and a half years of administrative segregation as a disciplinary measure.

Shalom said the health checks performed in New Jersey's prisons don't go far enough to ensure prolonged isolation isn't jeopardizing an inmate's mental health.

Lesniak told NJ Advance Media he didn't expect he could rally enough Republican lawmakers to overturn Christie's veto, but would likely re-introduce the measure after Christie's term ends.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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