New York City was found in contempt Wednesday over “grave” conditions at Rikers Island — as a judge said she was “inclined” to order a federal takeover of the troubled jail complex.
The scathing, 65-page contempt order by Manhattan federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain blasted the city for rising deaths of inmates, skyrocketing “uses of force” by correction officers, and a slew of other failures.
The city violated 18 provisions of a historic settlement to reduce rampant violence at Rikers, Swain ruled – before dangling, and walking back, the possibility of jailing city leaders for their contempt.
Swain wrote that the worsening conditions — and the city continually falling short on correcting them in the nine years Rikers has been under federal oversight — left a wholesale takeover, or receivership, by the feds increasingly likely as the solution.
New York City was found in contempt Wednesday over “grave” conditions at Rikers Island, according to reports. AP“For those reasons, the Court is inclined to impose a receivership: namely, a remedy that will make the management of the use of force and safety aspects of the Rikers Island jails ultimately answerable directly to the Court,” she wrote.
The judge ordered city officials and the federal monitor to huddle up and come up with a plan for a possible takeover by Jan. 14.
The contempt order is the latest, perhaps near-final, twist in a lengthy court case from inmates and the non-profit organization The Legal Aid Society.
The lawsuit led to a 2015 settlement by the US government and the city that installed a federal monitor to act as a watchdog over jail conditions and efforts to improve them.
Swain used the monitor’s blistering critiques as a basis for her decision, finding conditions for inmates and city Department of Correction officers alike have only worsened since the settlement.
“As the record in this case demonstrates, the current rates of use of force, stabbings and slashings, fights, assaults on staff, and in-custody deaths remain extraordinarily high, and there has been no substantial reduction in the risk of harm currently facing those who live and work in the Rikers Island jails,” she wrote.
Page after page of Swain’s order details nightmarish conditions in Rikers jails, including:
- A “disturbing” increase in deaths of inmates in recent years: “Nineteen people died in Defendants’ custody in 2022, nine more died in 2023, and five died in the first eight months of 2024.”
- Stabbings skyrocketing from 159 during 2016 to 468 in 2022, a nearly 200% spike.
- Use of force rates are not only increasing, but also with a significant percentage resulting in “chipped, cracked, or lost teeth; lacerations; punctures; fractures; loss of consciousness; concussions; sutures; internal injuries; or injuries requiring hospital admissions.”
Swain laid blame for the “glacial pace” of reform at a DOC leadership that has turned over several times since 2015.
City and jail officials gave no evidence their plans have improved Rikers, she wrote.
“Instead, the concrete evidence before the Court demonstrates that, for nine years, Defendants made only half-hearted, inconsistent efforts to comply with Court orders designed to remedy consistently unconstitutional levels of violence and disorder in the jail,” she wrote.
Swain contended that fining or even incarcerating jail and city leaders – including, presumably, Mayor Eric Adams – likely wouldn’t advance needed reforms at Rikers.
Swain wrote that the continuous decline of conditions at the jail can lead to a federal takeover, or receivership.
Instead, she laid the groundwork for a federal receivership, ordering all sides to outline how a potential takeover would look.
City Hall officials stressed no receivership was yet being imposed, and contended DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddle has made progress.
“We are proud of our work, but recognize there is more to be done and look forward to working with the federal monitoring team on our shared goal of continuing to improve the safety of everyone in our jails,” officials said in a statement.
The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association union blasted the judge as “flat out wrong” for finding the jails’ workforce is overstaffed.
“We have been defunded, short staffed, scapegoated and handcuffed by the New York City Council and Federal Monitor, which have ignored every proposal we’ve made to keep our jails safe for everyone,” a statement from the union contended.
Manhattan federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain blasted the city for rising deaths of inmates, skyrocketing “uses of force” by correction officers, and a slew of other failures. NYLJ/Rick Kopstein“Outsourcing control of Rikers Island to a Federal Receiver, will not be a silver bullet and will not solve any of these problems.”
Councilman Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan), who sits on the body’s criminal justice committee, said the city has proven itself incapable of managing Rikers.
“For 33 people in the last two years, a trip to Rikers has been a de facto death sentence,” he said.
“A federal receivership would add a layer of accountability and provide an infusion of resources. If Eric Adams doesn’t like the idea of a federal receivership, then I suggest he deliver on his campaign promise of closing Rikers entirely.”
Adams has been opposed to a federal takeover of Rikers, or its impending closure. On Wednesday, he reiterated his position and even went as far as to say the early release of alleged serial stabber Ramon Rivera from Rikers — a month before his bloody spree across Manhattan — was a “byproduct” of the push to free inmates from the troubled lockup.
Rikers had nearly 6,600 inmates in custody at the start of November, up 4% from last year. AP“This is the byproduct of opening Rikers and just letting everybody out,” Adams said. “So, let’s be clear on what we constantly have to fight against and say, no, we’re not just letting anybody out. We got to do it correctly.”
Rikers had nearly 6,600 inmates in custody at the start of November, up 4% from last year.
Attorneys with The Legal Aid Society, the city’s largest provider of free legal services, applauded Swain’s “historic decision.”
“We laud this ruling, which will finally create a pathway for reform that can protect those who have been failed by DOC’s leadership by making leadership accountable to the court and not political authorities,” they said in a statement.
“The court’s recognition that the current structure has failed, and that receivership free from political and other external influences is the path forward, can ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of incarceration status, are treated with the respect and dignity guaranteed to them under the law.”
– Additional reporting by Aneeta Bhole
