Mary Buser, LCSW, is a former assistant chief of mental health on Rikers Island, and author of the award-winning book, Lockdown on Rikers: Shocking Stories of Abuse and Injustice at New York’s Notorious Jail. She is a member of Social Workers & Allies against Solitary Confinement. She lives in Brooklyn.
On April 1, after eight years of a determined grassroots campaign, the HALT Act (Humane Alternatives to Long Term Solitary…
On a sweltering summer afternoon, I stood with our mental health team, waiting while a guard unlocked the door to…