Chris Gelardi and Emily Brown report in New York Focus that five months after a law to scale back solitary confinement in New York went into effect, state prisons are routinely violating that law. A majority of the New York prison system’s solitary population had been held there for longer than the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act allows. As of Sept. 1, 276 people have been held in solitary confinement longer than the new law allows. As of Sept. 1, "the average person in solitary had been held there for longer than the legal limit," the story reports. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which runs the state prison system, refused to comment on the issue, saying only that it “continuously monitors the status of incarcerated individuals housed in [solitary confinement] cells and makes every effort to effect transfers as expeditiously as possible.” Is anyone doing anything about the constant law-breaking by prison officials? “There’s no accountability from DOCCS whatsoever,” said Victor Pate, an organizer with the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement. “There’s no oversight. And it’s just a mess right now.” State Senator Julia Salazar sponsored the solitary confinement legislation and chairs the corrections committee. “It’s harder to implement any change in the law in a place that is shrouded in secrecy and the public eye is kept away from it,” she said. Read the full story in New York Focus.