Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor is calling for an outside agency to take control of New York City’s troubled prisons, a major change that could help convince a judge to strip him of his powers. Mayor Eric Adams for Rikers Island.
Federal prosecutor Damian Williams said in a statement Monday that Rikers has been in crisis for years — “a collective failure with deep roots, spanning multiple mayoral administrations” and regulatory commissioners.
“But after eight years of trying every tool in the toolkit,” says Mr. Williams, “we couldn’t wait any longer to make significant progress. That is why my office will be looking for a court-appointed receiver to deal with conditions on Rikers Island.”
Although lawyers for people detained in the city prison have been constantly call for an outside agency — known as the receiver — takes over, Mr. Williams’ claims could create a powerful impetus to make the move a reality.
Williams’ office said it would also seek to compel the city to disregard the courts “to address the ongoing risk of harm” to detainees and prison staff.
Ultimately, judge Laura Taylor Swain will decide whether a takeover is necessary. The mayor has insisted that change must come from within. Any finding from the judge that the city is unable to manage its own prisons could greatly embarrass Mr. Adams and his administration.
A City Hall spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The city’s prisons, most of which are located on Rikers Island in the East River, have faced problems for decades, but the most recent turmoil came when the pandemic broke out in March 2020. Covid-19 hit correctional officers working inside difficult prisons and resulted in mass absences: At the height of the crisis after that, up to 2,000 officers didn’t come to work every day.
Prisons have descended into chaos, with violence and self-harm by inmates skyrocketing in 2021. The following year, Mayor Adams took office and appointed a new prison commissioner, Louis. A. Molina, who swore to control everything. Still, 19 people will die while incarcerated in city prisons in 2022, or shortly after their release, the most in nearly a decade. Six more people have died this year.
In April 2022, Mr. Williams, United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, raise the prospect of an outside agency to run the prisons, said in a letter to Judge Swain that they “are in a state of crisis, inmates and staff are critically injured, and action is urgently needed now. “
At the time, Mr. Williams said his office was very concerned about whether the city and the corrections department had the “capacity, expertise and will to rapidly implement the changes needed to bring about improvements.” real way for this deeply troubled agency.”
Mr Williams’ office said at the time that without such a commitment to change, “we would be left with no choice but to seek more aggressive relief, which may involve finding ways to complement the situation.” appoint an independent authoritative receiver to implement sweeping reforms.”
Monday’s prosecutor’s statement came amid ongoing mayhem at prisons — three people have died this month alone — as well as reports from a federal supervisor. monitoring them have charged city officials. conceal important information about disturbing episodes of violence and neglect.
With Mr. Williams’ comments, every entity involved in deciding the future of prisons — detainees attorney, federal supervisor, Steve J. Martin, and now, the office U.S. attorney — except that the city itself has called for an outside authority to take over, or simply demonstrates a lack of confidence in the government’s ability to turn the tide.
During a hearing last month, Judge Swain, of the Federal District Court in Manhattan, echoed those complaints, saying her faith in the city’s leadership had been shaken and signaled that she could leave open the possibility of appointing a recipient. The judge has scheduled a hearing for August 10, where the detainees’ attorneys and Mr Williams’ office are expected to make their formal recommendations on admission. .
But their support alone will not be enough for an outside agency to take control. Judge Swain would have to find that there were no more extreme alternatives that could resolve the issues and the city refused to comply with the court order.
Mr. Martin filed a report earlier this month in which he did not explicitly call for an outside agency to take control. Instead, he urges Judge Swain to begin a court proceeding that could end with New York City being held in contempt for its actions — and take any remedial action. anything else she may deem necessary.
The legal case involving Rikers, a complex of eight municipal prisons that house more than 6,000 inmates, has been brought before Judge Swain since the Legal Aid Association and two private law firms. in 2012 filed a class-action lawsuit against the city, then led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, about what it called a “deep-rooted” model of brutality in city prisons. A spokesperson for the Legal Aid Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Mr Williams’ statement.
In 2014, the US attorney’s office, then headed by Preet Bharara, announced that, after a two-and-a-half year investigation, it had found systematic civil rights violations of teenage boys by guards at Rikers. The ultimate prosecutor’s office joined a pending class action lawsuit.
In June 2015, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration achieved a large-scale settlement in the case, pledging to implement sweeping reforms, including appointing supervisors and new policies to limit the use of force by guards against prisoners.
Meanwhile, crime has decreased, leading to less crowding on Rikers Island, which in April 2020 had a population of less than 4,000. for the first time since 1946. When crime began to rise that summer, the pattern was quickly reversed.
Mr. Williams, a US attorney since being appointed by President Biden in 2021, said Rikers was a big deal for him when he took office, the first topic he asked to brief.
“The problems at Rikers are profound and they have been in the making for decades,” he said. in an interview published in April. “They are very complicated. And we understand that. So we’re finally clear about it. But yes, that is an urgent priority for us.”
By law, prisons on Rikers Island must close by 2027, and the city plans to replace the complex with four smaller prisons based in every county except Staten Island. But Mayor Adams has cast doubt on the plan — the new prisons are expected to hold only about 3,300 beds — and he said he thinks the city needs a “Plan B.”
