New York City ruled in contempt over Rikers Island jail conditions

New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail is likely to be taken over by the federal government after a judge ruled the city in contempt of court for failing to deal with “alarming and unacceptable” conditions in the complex.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain, issued last week, blasted the city's Department of Correction for failing to make "meaningful progress" on reforms required under a 2015 consent decree that sought to improve safety for staff and inmates on Rikers Island. She said the court is "inclined" to let the federal government take over day-to-day operations under a "receivership" system.

Swain said the latest data shows rates of use of force, stabbings, fights, assaults on staff and deaths remain extraordinarily high at the jails, adding that there has been "no substantial reduction in the risk of harm currently facing those who live and work in the Rikers Island jails."

"The use of force rate and other rates of violence, self-harm, and deaths in custody are demonstrably worse than when the Consent Judgment went into effect in 2015,” she wrote in the 65-page ruling.

Mayor Eric Adams opposes receivership for the city's jails but has pledged to shut down Rikers Island by 2027, despite skepticism from criminal justice advocates that his administration will meet that deadline. The 400-acre jail, which houses an average of 6,000 detainees, has been operating under a federal consent decree since 2015.

A statement from Adams' office didn't specifically address the likelihood of receivership for the city's jails but said there has been progress, citing a rise in seizures of weapons and a drop of in-custody deaths.

“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," the statement said.

The Legal Aid Society praised Swain's ruling as "historic" and said federal receivership of the jail will create a "path forward" that "can ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of incarceration status, are treated with the respect and dignity guaranteed to them under the law."

But the union representing the city's correctional officers ripped Swain's ruling, saying it was "largely based on the false and erroneous narrative" by the federal monitor "who continues to misrepresent the root cause of increased violence in our jails."

"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," the New York City Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association said.