A federal judge on Tuesday appointed a federal official to oversee Rikers Island, removing control of New York City's largest jail from the Department of Corrections, The New York Times reported.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain wrote in her ruling on Tuesday that she is appointing a remediation manager who would be "empowered to take all actions necessary" to improve conditions at the jail complex. The official would report directly to her and would not serve as a city employee.
"While the necessary changes will take some time, the court expects to see continual progress toward these goals," Swain wrote.
In an opinion issued last year, Swain found that the city and the Department of Corrections violated prisoners' and staff members' constitutional rights and had intentionally ignored the court's orders. She found the city in contempt and warned that a federal receiver may act as 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."
Although New York City's jails came under federal oversight about 10 years ago after the settlement of a class-action lawsuit over abuses at Rikers Island, the city has maintained control over the jail complex until now.
"For years, the New York City Department of Correction has failed to follow federal court orders to enact meaningful reforms, allowing violence, disorder and systemic dysfunction to persist," attorneys Mary Lynne Werlwas and Debra Greenberger, who represent detainees at the prison, said in a statement. "This appointment marks a critical turning point."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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