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A federal judge on Tuesday officially seized control of Rikers Island from New York City, ordering the appointment of an independent manager to oversee the notorious jail complex that has been plagued by reports of violence, ill treatment, and inmate deaths.
In a 77-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain said the court will appoint a “remediation manager” who will work alongside the commissioner of the city’s Department of Correction to “support remediation of the ongoing violations of the constitutional rights of people in custody in the New York City jails.”
“While the necessary changes will take some time, the Court expects to see continual progress toward these goals so that control of use of force and related policies and practices can be returned to the City and the DOC as quickly as possible,” the judge wrote.
Under Swain’s order, the manager will be granted “broad powers,” including the authority to implement changes to Correction Department policies and procedures, the ability to hire or promote staff, and being able to take disciplinary action particularly in regard to violations of the department’s policies on use of force. Swain set a August 29 deadline for the parties in the case to formulate a list of potential candidates for the role.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case praised Swain’s “historic decision” in a joint statement, writing that the city’s Department of Correction “has failed to follow federal court orders to enact meaningful reforms, allowing violence, disorder, and systemic dysfunction to persist in the jails.”
“We commend the court for taking this bold and necessary step. The people we serve deserve real accountability, and today’s decision brings us one step closer to justice,” attorneys Mary Lynne Werlwas and Debra Greenberger said.
Since 2015, Rikers Island has been subjected to oversight by a court-appointed monitor following a settlement with the city over alleged abuses in the jail complex. In consistent reports, the monitor relayed concerns with conditions at Rikers, including potential risks to the safety of both inmates and staff. In 2019, the City Council voted in favor of closing Rikers by 2027 with the goal of replacing the complex with a series of smaller, borough-based jails. But Mayor Eric Adams has cast doubt on the feasibility of that timeline, and the Daily News reported earlier this month that he has explored the idea of building housing on the planned jail sites.
At a press conference Tuesday, Adams signaled that his administration would comply with the judge’s ruling. “The problems on Rikers were decades in the making. If a federal judge made a determination that we did something they didn’t like, then we are going to follow the rules,” he said.
