NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A federal judge approved the New York City Department of Correction’s plan to reform Rikers Island on Tuesday, temporarily avoiding the threat of a federal takeover.
“This action plan represents a way to move forward with concrete measures now to address the ongoing crisis at Rikers Island," said Judge Laura Taylor Swain, though she acknowledged that "further remedial relief may be necessary should Defendants not fulfill their commitments and demonstrate their ability to make urgently needed changes."
Swain will review the city's progress in November, and the federal monitor tasked with investigating human rights abuses at Rikers will issue a report on the DOC’s progress in October.
The Legal Aid Society, which represents inmates at Rikers, described the plan as “insufficient” and said it “will not cure the unconstitutional and unsafe conditions for our clients.”
After the city released its plan on Friday, LAS requested Swain appoint a federal receivership to take control of the facility in order to force changes to remedy chronic understaffing, violence, abuse by guards and poor conditions at Rikers.
The city’s plan includes changes to housing practices in order to reduce gang affiliated violence, increased searches and supervision, some minor facility maintenance, a push to increase staff, revision of medical leave policies to address absenteeism, increased supervision of correctional officers and leadership restructuring.
The LAS took particular issue with the leadership restructuring plan, which fails to heed the federal monitor’s request to search for leadership candidates outside of the DOC.
“The Monitor has long described how the profound deficiencies in facility leaders — all of whom came up through this abusive, dysfunctional system — have frustrated compliance with the Consent Judgement and First Remedial order, and therefore made a formal recommendation over a year ago to expand the warden hiring pool,” wrote LAS President Alan Levine to Swain.
The monitor said the plan represents a “viable pathway forward” but that the steps “may not be sufficient to bring about the magnitude of change that is necessary to reform the agency.”
“This combined with the Monitoring Team’s serious concerns about the current conditions of the jails means the Monitoring Team cannot warrant that the Action Plan alone will be sufficient to address the danger, violence, and chaos that continue to occur daily,” wrote Martin in a letter to Swain.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed contentment with the plan, and argued changes already made to Rikers are having an impact.
“Since taking office and working with the monitoring team, we have seen reductions in slashings and stabbings, reductions in use of force and assaults on staff, increased searches for weapons and contraband, and fewer officers out on sick leave, but we must go much further,” said Adams in a statement. “As our updated, detailed plan makes clear, with the proposed time, we have a strategy to aggressively untangle the dysfunction that has plagued the island and set it on a path of real and enduring reform.”
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