new-york

New York to Torture Fewer People With Solitary Confinement

Andy Cush · 12/16/15 02:12PM

In the New York State prison system, it’s possible to be thrown into solitary confinement for a nonviolent offense, then kept there for two years straight, 23 hours a day with no days off. That’s exactly what happened to Leroy Peoples, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit settled this week that will drastically reduce the use of the punishment.

Enough With the Rats Already For the Love of God

Brendan O'Connor · 11/22/15 11:25PM

Here is a video of someone passed out, on a subway platform, in Crown Heights, into whose lap a rat appears to have crawled, only to take a “selfie.” I hate this video and it makes me want to die.

New York State Legislator Who Supported Nail Salon Labor Protections Turns on His Own Law

Brendan O'Connor · 11/08/15 07:38PM

You might be surprised to learn that the New York State assemblyman who helped to craft a bill designed to protect nail salon workers, which Governor Cuomo signed into law earlier this year, has now decided that this law (especially the provisions pertaining to wage fraud) is bad. Then again, you might not be so surprised when you learn that, according to the New York Times’ Sarah Maslin Nir—whose investigative reporting on the nail salon industry in New York prompted Cuomo to take those “emergency measures”—salon owners have been sending tens of thousands of dollars in political donations the assemblyman’s way.