Mayor Mamdani Moves to Enforce Board of Correction Standards and End Solitary Confinement

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday signed two emergency executive orders directing city agencies to come into compliance with long-standing legal and safety standards for city jails and homeless shelters.

The first order instructs the Department of Correction and the Law Department to develop a plan within 45 days to meet the Board of Correction’s Minimum Standards—requirements that were suspended during the surge of asylum seekers. The directive also orders coordination with the federal monitor and parties in Nunez v. City of New York to implement Local Law 42, which bans solitary confinement in city jails.

“I was elected because of my values and my promise to always be honest with New Yorkers — and now is a moment for blunt truths,” Mayor Mamdani said. “The previous administration’s refusal to meet their legal obligations on Rikers has left us with troubling conditions that will take time to resolve. Today, we take the first step toward fixing that.”

The second executive order mandates that the Law Department and Department of Social Services craft a plan—also within 45 days—to bring the shelter system back in line with laws requiring cooking facilities for families with children and setting capacity limits for adult shelters. The order also ends the suspension of several health, safety, and building codes invoked to open emergency shelters during the migrant crisis.

Corporation Counsel nominee Steve Banks praised the move, noting that it marks a pivotal step in stopping further deterioration of conditions on Rikers and realigning the city with the law.

Mayor Mamdani’s administration, now in its first week, has framed these actions as part of a broader effort to restore transparency and legality across New York City’s institutions, emphasizing swift compliance and long-term reform.