Judge strips NYC of full authority over Rikers Island, citing
'unprecedented' violence
[May 14, 2025]
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will no longer fully control its jail
system, including the long-troubled Rikers Island complex, after a
federal judge found the city had failed to stem spiraling dysfunction
and brutality against those in custody.
Instead, U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain said she would appoint
an outside manager to “take all necessary steps” toward restoring order
inside the jails and bringing the city into compliance with previous
court orders.
The official, known as a “remediation manager,” will report directly to
the court. While the city’s corrections commissioner will remain
responsible for much of the day-to-day operations of the jail system,
the remediation manager will have broad powers to address long-standing
safety problems, including authority over hiring and promotions, staff
deployment and disciplinary action regarding the use of force
The extraordinary intervention, outlined Tuesday by Swain in a 77-page
order, comes nearly a decade after the city’s jail system was placed
under federal oversight as part of a class-action lawsuit brought by
detainees.
In the years since, rates of violence have continued to increase,
creating a “grave and immediate threat” that violates the constitutional
rights of those in custody, according to Swain.
“Worse still, the unsafe and dangerous conditions in the jails, which
are characterized by unprecedented rates of use of force and violence,
have become normalized despite the fact that they are clearly abnormal
and unacceptable,” Swain wrote Tuesday.
This past November, she found the city in contempt for failing to comply
with 18 separate provisions of court orders pertaining to security,
staffing, supervision, use of force and the safety of young detainees.
The contempt ruling opened the door to a federal receivership of Rikers
Island, a remedy long supported by detainee advocates, strongly opposed
by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and characterized by the court as an
option of last resort.
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The Rikers Island jail complex is shown in the Bronx borough of New
York, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
In her order on Tuesday, Swain said the remedial manager would have
“broad authority” similar to a federal receiver, but would be
expected to work closely with the city-appointed commissioner of the
Department of Correction to implement a reform plan.
At a press conference Tuesday, Adams said the city would follow the
judge’s order, while also suggesting the appointment of an outside
manager was not necessary.
“Remediation manager? I don’t know the definition of that,” he said.
“We have this oversight and that oversight. How much oversight are
you going to do before you realize there are systemic problems?”
Benny Boscio, the president of the union that represents correction
officers, said the union was willing to work with the outside
manager, but it would maintain "our fierce advocacy for the
preservation of our members’ employment rights and improving their
working conditions.”
Advocates for detainees, meanwhile, celebrated the judge’s order as
a turning point in a decades-long effort at reform.
“This has the potential to finally change the culture of violence
and brutality in the city’s jails that we’ve seen for decades,” said
Debbie Greenberger, an attorney with the Emery Celli law firm, which
represents detainees, along with the Legal Aid Society.
“Nothing is going to change overnight, but I’m more hopeful today
that we have a path to transformational change,” she added.
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