Dan M. Clark is reporting for the New York Law Journal state officials August 28, proposed new rules on the use of solitary confinement in state prisons that would bar the practice for pregnant women, or women within eight weeks of giving birth, and anyone with a mental or physical disability, or a serious mental illness. The new guidelines would also phase in a 30-day cap on the use of solitary confinement over the next three years. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision estimates the changes will cost the state $69 million in the 2020 fiscal year budget, and an additional $35 million in the coming years. These changes are the result of a failed attempt by lawmakers to approve a bill before the end of the legislative session in June to reform the state’s laws on solitary confinement. At the time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers disagreed about the cost of the measure. The new rules, proposed by DOCCS, were published in the State Register Wednesday, and a 60-day public comment period follows before they are finalized. Read the full story in the New York Law Journal.