Federal Judge Removes Rikers Island From City Control

Date:  05-14-2025 Judge finds "the defendants have consistently fallen short of the requisite compliance with court orders for years"

From MSN: 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. Continue reading >>>