It was a championed announcement by the de Blasio administration — doing away with solitary confinement on Rikers Island for young inmates. But once again on Tuesday the oversight sight board for Rikers Island gave the administration another reprieve, pushing back the deadline to end it another three months. Our Courtney Gross has this report.

Solitary confinement is still a threat for young adult inmates on Rikers.

For the fourth time, the city Board of Correction pushed back a deadline to end solitary confinement for 19 to 21 year olds on Rikers Island. The board, which oversees the city's sprawling jail system, originally approved the idea in January of 2015. It was supposed to take effect in January of this year.

The de Blasio administration now has until October to end it.

"It's a safety issue," said Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte.

The vote to delay this came unexpectedly just two weeks ago. Before that the department appeared to be on schedule.

But suddenly, Department of Correction officials said the facility on Rikers Island that housed young adult inmates had seen a spike in violence. It was not ready to do away with solitary confinement for these young inmates for another six months. They needed more time to get a hold of things.

"It was very chaotic," Ponte said. "We were having significant problems in the building. It took us a couple weeks to get our arms around why."

On Tuesday, the board grappled with the decision. Advocates pleaded with members to force the department to get rid of solitary anyway.

"Do not eviscerate the board standards or your role as an independent agency," said Sarah Kerr, of the Legal Aid Society.

"We urge you to reject this variance," said Riley Doyle Evans, Brooklyn Defender Services. "Tale this opportunity and end solitary confinement for this population."

Meanwhile, in a show of force, the correction commissioner took questions flanked by many of the department's highest-ranking officers.

"We probably would have had the possibility to undo many of the things we have done," Ponte said. "It's not a union issue."

At one point, board members took a long recess to mull it over.

Now the board's approval does come with some conditions. The department of correction will have more reporting requirements and inmates will have more time outside of their cells.

The department will have to report back in two months on how much progress they have made.