THE REQUIREMENT IN THE LONG-TERM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT ACT (HALT ACT) THAT A HEARING BE HELD WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF PLACING AN INMATE IN A SEGREGATED HOUSING UNIT (SHU) IS “DIRECTORY,” NOT MANDATORY; THEREFORE ANY ISSUE RELATED TO A DELAY IN HOLDING THE HEARING MUST BE PRESERVED FOR REVIEW AND THE INMATE MUST DEMONSTRATE PREJUDICE CAUSED BY THE DELAY (THIRD DEPT).

The Second Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice McShan, determined the requirement that, under the Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT Act), a disciplinary hearing be held within five days of an inmate’s placement in a segregated housing (SHU) is directory, not mandatory. Therefore the issue must be preserved for review and the inmate must demonstrate prejudice resulting from any delay in holding the hearing:

… [W]hen examining the entirety of statutory provisions enacted by the HALT Act with respect to the use of segregated housing, numerous provisions expressly provide directives that limit respondent’s authority to utilize segregated housing or mandating that incarcerated individuals be released or diverted to RRU [residential rehabilitation unit] … . The exclusion of any such language from the time frame in which a hearing must be held after an incarcerated individual is placed in segregated housing suggests that it was not intended to deprive respondent of his authority to proceed with a hearing in the event of a violation. We therefore find that the language requiring that a hearing be completed no later than five days after an incarcerated individual is placed in prehearing segregated confinement remains directory under the HALT Act … . Matter of Guerrero v Martuscello, 2026 NY Slip Op 01263, Third Dept 3-5-26