Judge to Consider Takeover of Rikers Jail After Unreported Deaths, Injuries
An extraordinary court intervention has become more likely at the notorious jail, as dangerous conditions persist despite increased scrutiny.
The Rikers Island jail as viewed from the Bronx in 2002.
Photographer: KEVIN P. COUGHLLIN/NIKON DIGITAL IMAGEIn a strong rebuke to New York City’s handling of violent and dangerous conditions at the Rikers Island jail complex, a federal judge in Manhattan is taking the first step to consider removing the jail from city control.
The Thursday decision by US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain represents a major escalation of efforts to reform the notorious jail, which has been under a federal consent decree since 2015. Although no outcome has yet been decided, Swain has opened the door for representatives of people detained at Rikers and the federal government to formally ask for a third-party administrator, or a receiver, to take control of the facilities. Federal receivership is an an extraordinary remedy that has only been used a handful of times in US history.